The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has relisted Umo Eno as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom state.
A check on INEC’s website showed that the commission amended its list on February 24 to accommodate Eno following a court order.
A federal high court in Abuja had, on January 20, sacked Eno as the party’s governorship candidate.
Delivering judgment in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1295/2022, Fadima Aminu, the presiding judge, ordered the PDP to submit Michael Enyong’s name to INEC as its candidate.
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However, delivering judgment in an appeal filed by Eno, the court of appeal led by Hamma Barka,sacked Enyong as the party’s candidate.
Barka agreed with Eno’s legal team that the judgment of a federal high court was delivered in error and that the court was misled by the plaintiff who concealed facts.
The appellate court ruled that the matter of statutory delegates who participated in the primary is an internal party affair and that the lower court should not have looked into it.
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In another appeal by one Akan Okon, the supreme court delivering judgment in suit SC/CV/172/2023, held that Eno was duly nominated by his party and eminently qualified for the elections.
The apex court also ordered Okon to pay the fine of N5 million earlier imposed by the appellate court.
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