APC's Inibehe Okori challenges Godswill Akpabio’s victory at Appeal Court

The All Progressives Congress senatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District, Mr. Inibehe Okori, has appealed the decision of the Akwa Ibom State National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Okori is challenging the tribunal’s verdict for upholding the March 28, 2015 senatorial election, which produced former Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio, as winner.

A statement by Okori’s media adviser, Mr. Daniel Etokiden, in Uyo on Sunday, said that it was regrettable that despite the alleged cases of over voting, the tribunal still ruled that Akpabio’s election was conducted in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

In a notice of appeal before the Court of Appeal, the appellant submitted, “That the learned justices of the trial tribunal erred in law when they found and held that the Independent National Electoral Commission had the power to on its own to normalise any anomaly in Akpabio’s nomination form by resorting to his personal particulars to determine his appropriate constituency.

“That the learned justices of the trial tribunal erred in law when they found and held the 1st ground of the petition is based on a technical error in the nomination documents of the 3rd respondent and does not affect the substance of Akpabio’s nomination to contest the election.

“That the learned justices of the trial tribunal exhibited double standards in resolving the issues placed by the parties before them and therefore erred in law.

“That the learned justices of the trial tribunal erred in law when they found and held that exhibit P.19 (card reader report) is inadmissible and proceeded to expunge same from the records.

“That the judgement, entered by the tribunal, is against the weight of evidence adduced at the trial which all amounted to a miscarriage of justice.”

Credit: Punch