Elections
Akwa Ibom North West: Court Orders Rerun Poll in Akpabio’s Local Government
The Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar has ordered a rerun poll in Essien Udim Local Government area of Akwa Ibom state within 90 days.
The three-man panel of the court led by Justice S. Tanko Hussein, in its judgement on Saturday declared as invalid the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Senator Christopher Ekpenyong of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) as the winner of the the February 23 Senatorial election in Akwa Ibom North West District.
The Minister of Niger Delta and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Godswill Akpabio had approached the court challenging Ekpenyong’s victory. He alleged there were instances of over voting and other irregularities that marred the election.
The Election Petitions Tribunal had earlier dismissed Akpabio’s petition on the grounds that it lacked merit.
Akpabio hails from the affected local government area where the court had ordered a rerun.