PDP sues Tinubu for appointing alleged APC member as Akwa-Ibom REC

President Bola Tinubu is being sued by the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State for allegedly designating an All Progressives Congress member as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s resident electoral commissioner.

Aniekan Akpan, the state PDP’s chairman, and Harrison Ekpo, its secretary, filed the lawsuit, respectively, on Thursday.

They are contesting Etekamba Umoren’s appointment to the state’s REC position.

The Senate verified on Wednesday the nominations of seven of the ten RECs—among them Umoren—that the President had forwarded to it on Tuesday.

Read Also: Labour Party accuses INEC of planning to hold governorship poll in Imo units with zero voters

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/146/2023 filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the plaintiffs listed as defendants, Tinubu, the Senate and Umoren.

The plaintiffs attached to their originating summons coloured photographs of Umoren on campaign grounds wearing the APC clothes and also clips of him in APC dresses campaigning for the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The opposition party chieftains are urging the court to declare that “the 1st defendant (President Tinubu) cannot present the 3rd defendant (Umoren) to the 2nd defendant (Senate) for confirmation as REC for Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.”

They are seeking a court declaration that “the appointment of the 3rd defendant as REC for Akwa Ibom State is unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional, null and void ab initio and of no effect whatsoever.”

The plaintiffs want the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction “restraining the Senate from allowing, permitting and/or confirming Umoren as a REC and a further injunction restraining Umoren from acting, assuming the office and/or parading himself as a REC for Akwa Ibom State.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now