BREAKING: Appeal Court Sacks Akwa Ibom PDP Guber Candidate
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has sacked Michael Enyong, a House of Representatives member, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Akwa Ibom State.
The court restored Umo Eno, a former Commissioner for Land, as the PDP candidate. The Federal High Court in Abuja had set aside Eno’s nomination by the PDP on January 20, 2023.
In an appeal filed by the PDP against the Federal High Court’s judgment, Justice Hamma Akawu Barka voided the judgment of the lower court, stating that it was delivered in error and predicated on mistakes.
The appellate court held that the issue of statutory delegates who voted at the primary election is an internal affair of the party and that the lower court had no business inquiring into it.
Justice Barka also agreed with the PDP’s counsel, Paul Usoro and Uwemedimo Nwoko, that only the National Working Committee (NWC) of a political party has the power to conduct primary elections for the purpose of nominating candidates for the general election.
The Court of Appeal further held that since the lower court had no jurisdiction to inquire into the internal affairs of the PDP, the judge had no discretion in law to exercise in the matter.
It also upheld the PDP’s appeal and vacated all orders made by the Federal High Court in favor of Michael Enyong.
Additionally, the Court of Appeal ordered Enyong, a House of Representatives member from Uyo Federal Constituency, to pay the sum of one million naira to the appellant as the cost of litigation.
Responding to the judgment, Usoro stated that the judiciary had done justice to the unlawful orders issued by the Federal High Court against the PDP.
