Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital has dismissed a petition brought before it by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), MrAkanimo Udofia, against the victory of Pastor Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Umo the winner of the March 18, 2023 election.
The grounds Udofia sought for the disqualification of Pastor Umo Eno, LEADERSHIP gathered, was predicated on alleged presentation of forged documents – age, O’Level Certificates and, also that Eno did not score the highest number of valid votes in the election.
Udofia also accused the 2nd respondent of being convicted by an Abuja Magistrate Court, hence not qualified to be fielded for elections.
But the tribunal in its unanimous decision held that the allegations of substantial noncompliance with the electoral law in the conduct of the elections, was not sufficiently proven by the petitioners in their case.
The Justice Adekunle Adeleye-led panel unanimously ruled that the Magistrate Court in its judgement had nullified its earlier conviction of Eno, holding that “once a judgement is nullified, it ceases to exist.”
On the qualifications of the 2nd respondent, the tribunal maintained that the Supreme Court had determined that Eno was the authentic owner of the WAEC certificate he submitted to INEC.
The lead judgement read by Justice Kadi Usman Sikudu also held that the petitioners having alleged that Pastor Eno was not the owner of the certificate he submitted to the 1st Respondent, INEC, did not produce any other person, as the authentic owner of the said 1981 WAEC certificate.
Akanimo Udofia’s petition, according to the tribunal, “lacks merit as the petitioner was not able to establish one polling unit in which there was non-compliance with the electoral law in the March 18 governorship election.”
The tribunal had earlier thrown out the petition by governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ezekiel Nyaetok, for also lacking in merit, as the grounds of his petition was similar to those of the APC and the NNPP.
The tribunal will reconvene today for the last judgement in the petition by Bassey Albert of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), challenging the election of Governor Eno.
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