ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Supreme Court has affirmed Governor Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the validly elected governor of Akwa-Ibom State.
The apex court, on Thursday, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, dismissed the appeals filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the Action Alliance (AC), on the non-qualification of the governor for allegations of certificate forgery which the governor denied.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, had in November 2023, upheld the election of Eno in the governorship election held on March 18, 2023.
The appellate court, in its judgment, dismissed three separate appeals filed against the governor’s election.
While affirming the September 28, 2023 judgments of the election petition tribunal, the three-member panel of Justices headed by Festus Obande, dismissed the appeal brought by the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Bassey Akpan, and his party against the Independent National Electoral Commission, Eno, and the PDP.
Justice Obande also granted judgements in favor of the governor against the appeals of the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), John Udoedehe, as well as Akanimo Udofia, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The appellate court declared in the unanimous judgments that all three appeals lacked merit.
INEC had declared Eno the winner of the governorship poll with 356,348 votes to defeat his closest rival, Albert of the YPP, who got 136,262 votes.
