Senator Akpan Gets  48 Hours to File Response in YPP Guber Case

Okon Bassey in Uyo

A Federal High Court in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, has given the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the state, Senator Bassey Albert Akpan, and the state Chairman of the party, Pastor Nyenime Andy, 48 hours to file amended processes in a court case against them.

A member of the party and governorship aspirant, Alexander Asuquo, sued Senator Akpan and Pastor Andy over a political development in the party.

Asuquo had dragged Akpan to the court to stop him (Akpan) from inheriting the YPP gubernatorial ticket from the party chairman.

The court, presided by Justice A.A. Okeke, last Tuesday summoned Akpan, popularly referred to as OBA, and the state party chairman after asking them to be served with substituted service.

The duo of N B E Wigwe and Uchegbu had earlier filed processes for YPP, Pastor Andy and Senator Akpan, however, when the case came up before Justice Okeke, the YPP governorship candidate announced a change of his defence counsel as Ime Nya Asanga and Jerry Akpan appealed to withdraw the earlier process filed on Akpan’s behalf.

The court ordered YPP and the state chairman to file their amended processes within 48 hours and asked the plaintiff to respond within 24 hours of being served with the new process.

The court adjourned to August 30, 2022, for hearing after ordering court summon to be served on Akpan and Andy, while hearing notice was ordered to be served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and YPP.

The lawyer is joining the YPP, Andy, Akpan, and INEC as defendants.

YPP had earlier submitted to INEC the name of the state party Chairman, Nyenime Andy, as its governorship candidate.

The plaintiff is seeking judicial interpretation on questions bordering on whether the state chairman of the party can validly use his position as the chairman of the party to preserve and reverse the gubernatorial ticket of the party to Senator Akpan (third defendant) who was already an aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 Speaking to journalists, the plaintiff: said: “Besides challenging the legality of the chairman’s action, he wants the court to determine if after filling and submitting a nomination form in PDP, Akpan can be validly nominated by YPP in view of the provisions of Section 35 of the Electoral Act 2022.

“I’m not just a member but a gubernatorial aspirant in YPP, who was received into the party by Dr. Nyenime Andy himself.”