The governorship primary election for the All Progressive Congress (APC), which was held on May 26, has been cancelled and a fresh one has been ordered by a Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, the capital of the Akwa Ibom state.
The former aide to President Mohammadu Buhari, Senator Ita Enang, testified before the court in a lawsuit with file number FHC/UY/144/2022 that the party primary that Obong Akan Udofia allegedly won was marked by various improprieties because the winner was not a party member.
Udofia argued that the APC had granted him a waiver, which allowed him to run in the party primary despite defects and other irregularities.
Delivering judgement on Monday, 14th November, in a case brought before it by aggrieved governorship aspirant and former Senior Special Assistant to President Mohammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs Senator Ita Enang, the presiding Judge Justice Agatha Okeke nullified the APC primary poll and ordered the party in the state to conduct another credible primary within two weeks.
Akan Udofia’s alleged waiver was also rejected by Justice Okeke, who then mandated that the party have another primary in a fortnight during which the APC’s legitimate governorship candidate for the state will be elected.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant Akan Udofia who claimed to have won the aborted primary election of APC in the state should not participate in the fresh party primary election.
It would be recalled that the purported governorship primary of APC in the state won by Akan Udofia was hijacked by party bigwigs such as Senator Godswill Akpabio on one hand and the camp of senator John James Akpan Udoedehe who later dumped the party for New Nigeria People Party ( NNPP) leaving the likes of Ita Enang, Atuekong Don Etiebet, Capt Sam Ewang among others.
