Temporary Reprieve as Appeal Court Restores Umo

The Nigerian legal system is facing a lot of criticism at the moment. If the law, which is written down and available for all to see, is valid, why do courts in Nigeria always seem to give judgments that are contrary to one another? While this remains worrisome for every right-thinking Nigerian, it is good news for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja recently re-established Eno as the PDP governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom. Going against the previous judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Appeal Court concluded that Eno is the genuine PDP gubernatorial candidate. The reason for the judgment, as reported by members of the Appeal Court panel, is that the decision of the Federal High Court was erroneous and based on the deceptive scheme of the person that got to benefit from Eno’s previous sack from his desired position in the PDP, Michael Enyong.

Enyong was the individual who became the flagbearer for the PDP in Akwa Ibom after Eno’s victory at the primary was dismissed by the Federal High Court. A member of the House of Representatives standing for Uyo Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Enyong is reported to have conducted a different primary at his compound in which he emerged as the winner. As for the primary exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Enyong and his people wooed the Federal Court into believing that the exercise was in vain with the one they conducted as real.
Now that the Appeal Court has reinstated Eno, things are looking up for him. The conclusion from many people is that the issue with the Federal High Court and Enyong was just a temporary setback. Things are back on track.