Appeal Court Nullifies Senator Akpabio's Election

The election of the former governor of Akwa Ibom state and the Senate minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has been nullified by the Federal Court of Appeal. 

 

 

According to Sahara Reporters, Akpabio was thrown out of the Senate because of what the court described as ”violations to the Electoral Act during the senatorial election between Mr Akpabio and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Inibehe Okori.’‘

It is not clear why the court’s decision came late in the day yesterday, December 10, as courts are not known to sit late in the night.
APC’s Inibehe Okori had approached the court challenging the judgement of the trial tribunal which upheld the disputed March 28 Akwa Ibom North West senatorial election in which Akpabio of the PDP was declared winner.
The three man Appeal Court panel had earlier  berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for what it says is ”it’s public display of partisanship and failure to remain neutral as an independent electoral umpire and wondered why the commission should cry more than the bereaved in the suit.”
The Court of Appeal ordered a rerun election in Akwa Ibom State in 90 days.