There is jubilation and clinking of glasses in the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the victory of the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Umo Eno in the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election.
The Justice Ubani Abba-Aji-led seven-man panel of Supreme Court justices dismissed appeals by Mr Bassey Akpan of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Mr Akanimo Udofia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr John Akpanudoedehe of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP( who were candidates in the election.
Quashing of the case followed the withdrawal of the appeals by the respective appellants when the matters were called up for hearing on Thursday, in Abuja.
The appellants had challenged the election of Eno on the grounds that he was not qualified to stand for election having filed a forged secondary school certificate , a matter that had already been decided in favour of the governor by the Supreme Court in a pre election matter between him and one Akan Okon .
Recall that the Court of Appeal in Lagos had in November 2023 dismissed the forgery case and upheld the judgement of the tribunal judgment affirming Eno’s election as governor of Akwa Ibom State.
It quashed three separate appeals instituted by the YPP, NNPP and APC and their candidates against Eno, PDP and INEC.
The electoral umpire declared Eno as the winner of the governorship election, saying he won with a total of 356,348 votes while Akpan and Udofia were the first and second runner-ups with 136,262 and 129,602 votes respectively.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s judgement, the PDP congratulated the governor on the victory.
“This judgement of the Supreme Court, the highest and final court in our country, is a victory for democracy and the decisive triumph of the will of the people of Akwa Ibom State in their determination to preserve good governance in their state.
“The spontaneous jubilation across Akwa Ibom State at the news of the judgement of the Supreme Court shows that the verdict is in line with their expressed will, aspiration, and choice at the March 18, 2023 governorship election.
“Governor Eno is a humble, compassionate, and visionary leader; a seasoned administrator with extensive managerial skills that he acquired over the years in both the private and public sectors; qualities that continue to endear him to the people of Akwa Ibom State, and which they overwhelmingly elected him at the polls.
“Our Party is proud of his leadership capacity, especially in hitting the ground running upon inauguration with the launch of the ARISE Agenda, leading to monumental achievements in the delivery of life-changing citizen empowerment programmes and projects in critical sectors including agriculture, education, healthcare, security, housing, road infrastructure, manufacturing, commerce, and aviation, among others.”
“The PDP congratulates the people of Akwa Ibom State for this victory and charges Governor Eno to remain steadfast in building on the legacies of his predecessor in office…Udom Emmanuel, in the delivery of his people-oriented ARISE Agenda programmes and projects in line with the policy thrust and manifesto of the PDP,” the party said in a statement by its spokesman, Mr Debo Ologunagba.
