The Court of Appeal, Abuja, on Monday nullified the candidacy of Godswill Akpabio for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), upturning the judgment of Federal High Court, Abuja,
The unanimous judgement of the three-member panel of justices read by Justice Danlami Senchi on Monday held that Akpabio failed to file a proof of arguments within the time provided by the rules.
The panel further ruled that Akpabio, being a presidential aspirant of the APC, could not participate in the valid primary of the party held on May 27 and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which produced Udom Ekpoudom as a candidate.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, in a judgement on September 22 ordered INEC to accept Senator Akpabio as the APC candidate, duly nominated by the party in the second primary of June 9.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, in the judgment declared that Akpabio was validly nominated as the Akwa Ibom North/West Senatorial District candidate of the APC from the primary conducted by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on June 9, 2022.
The court directed that INEC include Akpabio’s name on the list pf candidates for the 2023 elections.