The immediate past Senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, Monday, approached the Election Tribunal sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, to kick-start the legal process to challenge his loss at the polls.
Akpabio was the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District in the February 23 National Assembly election.
In the said election, INEC had declared Mr. Ekpenyong and his party, the PDP, winner of the poll, having scored 118,215 votes as against Akpabio’s 83,158.
The suit which was filed at the tribunal on March 18 by his lawyer, Mr. Sunday Ameh, SAN, followed Senator Akpabio’s withdrawal of the case he earlier filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ameh, SAN said the result sheets from Akwa Ibom INEC office showed different figures that had Akpabio securing 138,256 votes as against Ekpenyong’s 123,843.
Akpabio’s counsel said his client is dissatisfied with the conduct and outcome of the election.
”The former governor of Akwa Ibom and his party has approached the election petition tribunal to ventilate their grievances as well as reclaim their stolen mandate.”
He is seeking to upturn the victory of Mr Christopher Ekpenyong of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), based on perceived electoral irregularities which he believes characterised the said election.
The former Senate Minority Leader, had while the election was ongoing, besieged the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging cases of infractions and deliberate violations of the electoral law and guidelines during the senatorial election.
Confirming this to Straightnews on Monday, Anietie Ekong, Special Assistant on Media to Senator Akpabio said “It is true that my boss has filed a petition against his loss at the Election Tribunal. He has hired the services of Sunday Ameh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to be a leading counsel in the case.”
However, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman presented certificate of return to Ekpenyong alongside other Senators-elect last week Thursday in Abuja.
