Akwa Ibom Tribunal Dismisses Akpanudoedehe’s Suit against Eno

Okon Bassey in Uyo

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, has thrown out the election petition instituted by the governorship candidate of the NNPP, Senator James Akpan Ùdoedehe against the election of Governor Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

The panel dismissed suit number EPW/AKS/GOV/03/23, in a unanimous decision, declaring that the petition by Akpanudoedehe and his party against Eno, the PDP and INEC lacked merit.

The governorship election petition by the former Senator followed the defective trajectory of two previous cases dismissed by the tribunal two weeks ago, by virtue of the attempt to resurrect the subject matter of certificate forgery leveled against Eno, which was previously buried by the Supreme Court.

Counsel to the PDP had told the tribunal that the petition was “most unambitious”, as the petitioners neglected and or refused to declare what they really wanted.

Akpanudoedehe of the NNPP had in his arguments claimed that Eno was a convict by the Wuse Magistrate Court, Abuja, thereby robbing him of the qualification to have contested the March 18, 2023 governorship election.

He prayed the Tribunal to order the election cancelled, and a fresh one conducted within 90 days.

He also alleged that the governor was born in Enugu, even though he declined to show proof of the claim as he neither front loaded nor relied upon any document to back it.

Of the over 5000 voting units in the state, the NNPP candidate had called only 2 witnesses with himself as one of the two.

Under cross examination, the NNPP gubernatorial candidate admitted, when shown the enrolled order of the Wuse Magistrate Court repudiating its judgement orders, that he lacked knowledge of the existence of the order before his petition.

Counsel to the PDP and Eno, noted in their submission that the NNPP petition was most unambitious, as the petitioner has not only failed to prove the criminal allegation of forgery, but also failed to state what he wanted.

The tribunal, presided over by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, ruled that lacking in merit, the petition had to be confined to the trash can.

Reacting, counsel to the PDP, Emmanuel Enoidem, told journalists the judgement was in strong agreement with the position of the law.

Enoidem said the petitioners failed to prove that Eno did not meet the constitutional entry requirements for office of the governor,  adding that most of their claims were pre-election matters, which they could not also substantiate.