The Court of Appeal, Abuja, Monday evening nullified the nomination of former Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Akwa-Ibom North/West Senatorial District in the 2023 general elections.
The Federal High Court, Abuja had on September 22, 2022, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinstate the former Akwa Ibom governor as APC’s candidate after he was nominated by the party for winning the second primary held on June 9.
A retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Udom Ekpoudom, who won the May 27 election in the district, had refused entreaties by the party to step down for the former minister.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who delivered the September 22 judgment, declared Akpabio as the validly elected APC candidate in the district.
He also faulted INEC for electing to monitor the May 27 primary conducted by an illegal faction of the party led by Augustine Ekanem but shunned the June 9 exercise supervised by the APC National Working Committee (NWC).
However, in Monday’s proceeding, a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Danlami Senchi held that the former governor erred by failing to file proof of arguments within the time frame specified by the rules.
The panel added that Akpabio who vied for the APC presidential ticket at the time of the first primary on May 27 could not have participated in the exercise because of his presidential aspiration.
The court ordered INEC to recognise Ekpoudom as the duly elected APC senatorial candidate in the district.
