S’Court dismisses APC, NNPP’s appeals, affirms Eno as A’Ibom gov

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, January 11, dismissed three separate appeals brought before it by some governorship candidates seeking nullification of the election of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, over alleged certificate forgery.

The petitions of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) were dismissed by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji.

The petitions by the APC and its governorship candidate, Akanimo Udofia; YPP and its gubernatorial candidate, Akpan Bassey; as well as that of NNPP and its governorship candidate, John Udoedehe were thrown out by Justice Abba-Aji upon their withdrawals.

The lead counsel to the parties withdrew their separate appeals following the hints from the court’s panel of justices that they have no merit.

Counsel in the matters had made attempts to convince the apex court that Emo Eno Bassey and Bassey Eno Emo were not the same and as such that the governor allegedly forged his secondary school certificate.

Their arguments, especially forgery allegations, did not go down well with the justices who queried the lawyers on whether the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) gave evidence to establish the allegations.

Upon admission that WAEC did not testify in the matter, the lawyers opted and separately withdrew the appeals.

The Court of Appeal in Lagos had, in November 2023, affirmed the election of Governor Eno in the March 18 governorship election.

The appellate court in its judgment dismissed three separate appeals filed against the governor’s election.

While affirming the September 28, 2023, judgment of the election petition tribunal, the three-member panel of justices headed by Justice Festus Obande dismissed the appeal brought by the governorship candidate of the YPP, Akpan, and the party against INEC, Eno, and the PDP.

Justice Obande also granted judgment in favour of the governor against the appeals of the governorship candidate of the NNPP, Udoedehe, as well as Udofia of the APC.

The appellate court declared in the unanimous judgment that all three appeals lacked merit.

The Star