Court nullifies Akwa Ibom APC governorship primary

A federal high court in Uyo has nullified the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries that produced Akanimo Udofia as the party’s governorship candidate for Akwa Ibom.

In the judgment delivered on Monday, Agatha Okeke, the presiding judge, ordered the APC to conduct a fresh governorship primary within 14 days.

Udofia was announced as the party’s governorship candidate on May 27 — but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) maintained that its officials did not monitor the primary.

Aggrieved, Ita Enang, former presidential adviser on Niger Delta affairs, who resigned his appointment to pursue his Akwa Ibom governorship bid instituted the suit.

There is no governorship candidate for APC Akwa Ibom in the list published by INEC.

Enang argued that because Udofia did not take part in all phases of the APC’s gubernatorial primary election, therefore he is not an official party member.

Prior to joining the APC, Udofia was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He purchased nomination forms to run in the PDP’s gubernatorial primary in Akwa Ibom.

In her judgment, Okeke agreed with the plaintiff that Udofia did not satisfy the provision of the electoral laws, which stipulates that he ought to have been a member of the APC for at least 30 days before the nomination.

She also held that the waiver Udofia allegedly got from the APC was not signed by “any known persons”.

Consequently, the court nullified the election and ordered that a fresh primary be conducted.

The court also ordered that Udofia should be excluded from a fresh primary to be conducted within 14 days.