The Gubernatorial candidate of
the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to the last year elections in Akwa Ibom
State, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe was today, Tuesday, given some hope by
the new tribunal sitting in Uyo. The petition filed by the Counsels to His Excellency, the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Chief Godswill Akpabio which prayed the tribunal not hear the case (of electoral fraud as filed by Udoedehe) because it was not filed within 180 days as specified by Electoral Act was struck out by tribunal today.
It could be recalled that the PDP
had said that the 180 given their rivals to file their complaints had elapsed
before they (ACN) did so. But the tribunal gave Udoedehe a lifeline as the case
is now to be heard on merit not on irregularities of filing the case.
The case has been adjourned to Thursday, 9th
February, 2012. This is some sort of victory for the Uyo-born politician and a relieve to his supporters whose hope for succour had started dwindling.
Below is a facebook post by the Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic:
Friends, the Court of Appeal has today thrown out the petition filed by
Chief Godswill Akpabio to stop the trial of the gubernatorial election dispute
in AkwaIbomState.
It would be recalled that after the Supreme Court had overturned the ruling of
the Tribunal in Uyo and that of the Appeal
Court in Calabar, in which our quest for justice
was dismissed by the two courts on technical reasons, Mr.... Bayo Ojo, the lawyer
representing Akpabio, filed a petition with the Tribunal to have the case
thrown out again using the 180 days technical argument, ignoring the DE NOVO
clause of the Supreme Court. With this victory that God has given us today, it
means the case will now go on trial proper and that will provide both sides the
opportunity to produce evidence that will convince the court on who, between I
and Akpabio actually won the governorship election conducted on April 26, 2011.
TO GOD BE GLORY.
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