By Vincent Kalu
An Abuja Federal High Court presided over by Justice David Okorowo, on Friday, dismissed Udom Udo Ekpoudom’s suit against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop Senator Godswill Akpabio from flying the flag of the APC for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District in the 2023 general election.
The suit, which was to compel INEC and the APC to replace Akpabio’s name with Ekpoudom as the party candidate for the senatorial zone, was dismissed as the court upheld the preliminary objection filed by counsel to All Progressive Congress (APC), to hold that the failure to join Senator Akpabio as a party to the suit rendered the suit incompetent.
The court equally held that the primaries that produced Udom Udo Ekpoudom was not authorised by the National Working Committee of the APC, but rather by a dissident state chapter of the APC and therefore invalid.
The court held that any party primary organised by the state chapter of a political party is invalid. Ekpoudom was relying on an alleged party primary organised by a factional state chapter of APC.
Umeh Kalu SAN, Valentine Offia and Adekunle Kosoko represented the APC in the suit, while Victor Odjemu represented Udom Udo Ekpoudom.