Court nullifies APC governorship primary in Akwa Ibom, Taraba

0
33

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo has disqualified Akan Udofia as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the 2023 governorship election, stressing that he has never been a member of the party.

While delivering her judgment on Monday, Justice Agatha Okeke ordered a fresh election to be conducted within 14 days and also barred Udofia from participating in the election.

A former Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang, had filed the case challenging the candidacy of Udofia.

Enang alleged that Udofia was not an APC member as at the time the poll was conducted, noting that Udofia contested the governorship primary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on May 25 before coming to contest the APC primary on May 26.

The Taraba State chapter of the APC suffered same fate as the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the APC governorship primary that produced Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as the candidate for the APC on Monday.

This is coming after the the Federal High Court in Jalingo, Taraba State, sacked Bwacha as the party’s governorship flagbearer for the forthcoming general election.

The two courts, in their separate rulings, called on the leadership of the APC to conduct a fresh governorship primary in Taraba.

Apart from ordering a fresh primary within 14 days, the candidate was also urged by the courts to desist from parading himself as the party’s governorship candidate for Taraba.

APC spokesman in the state and also his campaign director of media and publicity, Aaron Artimas, said plans to appeal the ruling are in the pipeline.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here