A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, dismissed the suit filed by Udom Ekpoudom, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, challenging the APC’s failure to summit his name to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s candidate for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District for the 2023 general elections.
Delivering judgment, Justice David Okorowo, held that the plaintiff’s action was not justiciable, hence, the suit was incompetent.
The court upheld the preliminary objection filed by counsel to All Progressive Congress (APC) to hold that the failure to join Senator Godswill Akpabio as a party to the suit rendered the suit incompetent.
It equally held that the primaries that produced Udom Udo Ekpoudom was not authorized by the National Working Committee of the All Progressive Congress (APC) but rather by a dissident state chapter of the APC and therefore invalid.
The court held that any party primary organized by the state chapter of a political party is invalid.
Udom Udo Ekpoudom was relying on an alleged party primary organized by a factional state chapter of APC.
The APC was represented in the suit by Umeh Kalu SAN, Valentine Offia and Adekunle Kosoko while Udom Udo Ekpoudom was represented by Victor Odjeme.
The counsel for APC commended the court for erudite judgment and stated that the judgment was in tandem with past decisions of the Supreme Court on the issues raised in the suit.
THE WHISPERER reports that the lawsuit followed the emergence of Akpabio as the party’s candidate in the APC re-run primary poll held on June 8.
The state’s APC Chairman, Stephen Ntukekpo, had said he was directed by the party at the national level to carry out a re-run over alleged infractions in which Akapbio had emerged winner with 478 votes, while Ekpoudom got just three votes.
THE WHISPERER reports that Akpabio’s name was among in the final list of national assembly candidates for the 2023 released by the electoral umpire on Tuesday.
