2023 poll: Court orders INEC to accept Akpabio as APC senatorial candidate

An Abuja Federal High Court has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept Godswill Akpabio as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the 2023 Akwa Ibom North/West Senatorial District election.

Justice Emeka Nwite, also ordered Akpabio’s name be published as the party candidate for the senatorial District.

He gave the orders in a judgment, saying that INEC’s refusal to accept and publish Akpabio’s name was in contradiction with the law, having received the name from the APC as its valid candidate.

Nwite, who said that the electoral umpire acted illegally, said the commission lacked the power to have disqualified the 2nd plaintiff (Akpabio).

“I hereby declared that the defendant (INEC) publish the name of the 2nd plaintiff as the authentic candidate,” he said.

In the suit filed before Nwite, the APC and Akpabio are 1st and 2nd plaintiffs respectively while INEC is the sole defendant.

INEC had recently cautioned the APC against its choice of candidate for the Akwa Ibom North-west Senatorial seat.

The commission said the name of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio, submitted by the party remained invalid until the party followed due process.

Udom Ekpoudom had emerged as the party’s candidate in the primary alleged to have been supervised by INEC’s officials in the constituency.

However, the party submitted the name of Akpabio in his place.

INEC’s spokesperson, Festus Okoye, in an interview, however, said that the commission rejected the former minister because he was not the validly nominated candidate for the senatorial district.