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| Senator Godswill Akpabio |
The Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar has allowed the appeal filed by Senator Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the declaration of Senator Christopher Ekpenyong of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election of February 23rd 2019 in Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial district.
In her judgement Saturday evening, the court declared as invalid, the declaration of Christopher Ekpenyong as winner of the said election and the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial district.
It ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to, within 90 days conduct fresh elections in Essien Udim local government area.
It held that there was prove of irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral Act in the conduct of the election within Essien Udim local government area, as such no one should have been declared winner. The rightful thing to do is to conduct fresh election in the disputed area. The court noted that in Obot Akara local government area, still within the central district, the appellant could not prove her claim of over voting or irregularities. The court delivered six judgements on the same day will the APC succeeding in four while PDP succeeded in two. In the appeal between Akpan Emmanuel Sunday of the APC versus Nsikak Ekong of the PDP over the election of Ikot Ekpene/ Essien Udim/ Obot Akara Federal Constituency, the court also allowed the appeal of the APC candidate by declaring invalid the declaration of Hon. Nsikak Ekong as winner. Fresh election was ordered also in only Essien Udim local government area.
The PDP won the case in Eket/Esit Eket/Ibeno/ONNA Federal Constituency between Kufre Akpabio of the APC vs Hon. Patrick Ifon of the PDP as the appeal challenge the election of Hon. Ifon to the National Assembly. The appeal was struck out for lack of merits. The second case won by the PDP in the six judgements delivered was Appeal number CA/C/NAEA/SHA/421/2019 between the APC and the PDP. Two cross-appeals from the PDP against the APC in Akwa Ibom North west senatorial district were struck out for filing out of time. The judgements were read by a 3man panel led by Justice S. Tank Hussen.
