• The purport of this judgment is that Godswill Obot Akpabio will fly the flag of the APC at the 2023 Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District Elections.

By Our Reporter

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the rightful All Progressive Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Akwa-Ibon North-West Senatorial District.

The court, presided over by Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite, today, Thursday, the 15th day of September, 2022, delivered this judgment in Suit No.: FHC/ABJ/CS/1011/2022: APC & GODSWILL OBOT AKPABIO V.INEC challenging the non – publication of the name of Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio as the Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District candidate of the APC in the 2023 General Elections.

The Court in its judgement held that Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio was validly nominated as the Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District candidate of the APC.

The Court in its reasoning held that it was not in doubt that there were two (2) primaries conducted by the APC for the Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District. That one of the primaries was conducted by the NWC of the APC, while the other was conducted by one Augustine Ekanem, an illegal factional Chairman of the APC in Akwa – Ibom State.

That INEC accepted correspondence from the said Augustine Ekanem an impostor and monitored an illegal primaries not conducted by the NWC of APC. That INEC also chose not to attend the validly conducted primary of APC for the Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District, where Senator Godswill Akpabio was elected and nominated, and, adjudged same as illegal.

The Court held that the reason given by INEC for failure to monitor the valid primaries of APC was that it had monitored an illegal primaries, and, this position of INEC is not tenable and is equally not in consonance with the law, which law is trite that it is only the NWC of a political party that can conduct valid primaries.

The Court also held that the APC was at all times in communication with INEC in the conduct of the Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District primaries and at no time acted outside the Electoral Act in the nomination of Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The Court finally held that the refusal of INEC to publish the name of Godswill Akpabio is ultra vires the powers of INEC and thereafter ordered INEC to publish the name of Godswill Akpabio as the candidate of the APC for the Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District elections scheduled to hold in 2023.

The purport of this judgment is that Godswill Obot Akpabio will fly the flag of the APC at the 2023 Akwa – Ibom North – West Senatorial District elections.

The two (2) Plaintiffs in the Suit were represented by Chief Umeh Kalu, SAN, with Valentine Offia, Imo Akpan and Adekunle Kosoko, while INEC was represented by Alhassan Umar, SAN.

Source: http://newsorientng.com