The governorship primary election for the All Progressive Congress (APC), which was held on May 26, has been canceled and a fresh one has been ordered by a Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, the capital of the AKwa Ibom state.
Senator Ita Enang, a former aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, testified before the court in the lawsuit FHC/UY/144/2022 that the party primary that Obong Akan Udofia allegedly won was marked by multiple illegalities because the victor was not a party member.
In his defense, Udofia claimed that the APC had granted him a dispensation that allowed him to participate in the May 26 party primary despite defects and other irregularities.
Justice Agatha Okeke, the presiding judge, issued her ruling in the case brought before the court by Senator Enang on Monday. She declared the APC primary invalid and ruled that the party in the state must hold a new, credible primary within two weeks.
The defendant Akan Udofia, who claimed to have won the state’s annulled APC primary election, was also prohibited from running in the new primary election, according to the ruling.
You might remember that the ostensible APC primary for governor in the state won by Akan Udofia was rigged by top party officials.