BREAKING: Appeal Court Gives Final Verdict on Akwa Ibom Governorship Election

• The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has delivered its judgement on the appeals challenging the victory of Governor Umo Eno
• The three-man panel dismissed the appeals filed by AP and Accord Party candidates for lacking in merit
• The Appellate Court affirmed the election of Eno as the duly elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5-year-experience covering metro and government policy

Lagos state - The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has dismissed the two appeals challenging the victory of Governor Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Akwa Ibom state governorship election.

As reported by The Nation, the three-man panel ruled that the appeals filed by Akpan Jeremiah of the Action Alliance (AP) and Emem Coffie of the Accord Party lacked merit.

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In a unanimous decision, the Appellate Court affirmed the election of Governor Eno on Friday, November 10.

Accord Party candidate, Coffie had approached the Appeal Court to upturn the tribunal’s judgment in his favour.

Emem’s counsel, Chidi Nwachukwu argued that other candidates were not qualified to contest the election and his client deserved to be declared the Governor.

Reacting to Emem’s case, Counsel to Governor Eno, Paul Usoro, SAN, Counsel to INEC, Kolapo Kolade, SAN and Mofesomo Oyetibo, said there was no attempt to bring witnesses from any of the 800 polling units they claimed recorded infractions.

“Every evidence they gave, amounted to hearsay and that is why the lower court dismissed the case,” Mofesomo Oyetibo, Counsel to the PDP told the Court.

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Tribunal gives verdict on PDP governor Eno's fate

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the election tribunal, sitting in Uyo, upheld the victory of Governor Eno as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state.

The court on Thursday, September 28, dismissed the petitions filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its candidate, Ezekiel Nyaetok, to challenge the declaration of Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the poll.

Good 4 Years Better Than Useless 2 Term, Says Akwa Ibom Gov

Eno revealed that he prefers a good and impactful four years in office than a useless two-term without impact.

He stated this while responding to the criticism of some aggrieved PDP members, who have threatened to withdraw their support for his second-term bid.

It was gathered that Governor Eno had blocked party members from accessing the state treasury, which has sparked heated controversies between party stalwarts and the governor.

Source: Legit.ng