Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has called upon the Court of Appeal in Lagos to dismiss an appeal brought before it by Senator Bassey Akpan of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
The governor is seeking to uphold the decision of the lower court, which had declared him the winner of the governorship election held on March 18, 2023.
In the appeal, YPP and Senator Akpan are contesting the judgment of the Governorship Petitions Tribunal in Uyo, which affirmed Umo Eno as the duly elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Umo Eno, through his lead counsel, Paul Usoro, SAN, refuted the appellants’ argument that the Supreme Court’s ruling in the matter of certificate forgery by Mr. Akan Okon was distinct from the certificate forgery case presented by Senator Akpan. He contended that the Supreme Court’s judgment unequivocally affirmed the authenticity of the documents and concluded that they did not constitute forgery.
The governor’s legal team emphasized that it was essential to bring an end to the litigation, asserting that the appellants had no justification for continuing to challenge a matter that had been thoroughly resolved at the highest court in the country.
The appellants, represented by Tunde Falola, expressed dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s ruling and judgment, which upheld the preliminary objections of the respondents and dismissed their petition. They argued that they had presented 18 witnesses before the tribunal, demonstrating that Umo Eno was not qualified to contest the election as he had allegedly submitted a forged certificate to INEC. They also claimed that he had not been elected by a majority of lawful votes cast in the election.
INEC’s counsel, Kolapo Kolade, SAN, highlighted that the petitioners failed to identify the true owner of the certificate they alleged did not belong to Umo Eno and had not produced any documents to substantiate their claims of forgery.
The counsel for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, pointed out that even the first appellant, Bassey Albert, had presented three documents in court, each with different arrangements of his name, yet claimed ownership of all three.
In a separate matter, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Emem Coffie, has also approached the Appeal Court to challenge the judgment of the lower tribunal and seek a declaration in his favor, arguing that other candidates in the election were not qualified to run for the position.
All cases have been adjourned to a later date for a final judgment.
