Tribunal dismisses APC’s petition against Umo Eno in Akwa Ibom

The Akwa Ibom governorship election petitions tribunal sitting in Uyo on Thursday dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Akanimo Udofia, against the outcome of the March 18 election in the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election ahead of Udofia and 16 other candidates in the election.

The APC candidate however challenged Eno’s victory in the election on four grounds.

He alleged that the governor presented forged documents to INEC before the election and did not score the highest number of valid votes in the exercise.

The petitioner also claimed that the PDP candidate was convicted for fraud by a magistrate court in Abuja and therefore unfit to take part in the election.

READ ALSO: Tribunal affirms Umo Eno’s election as Akwa Ibom governor

He equally cited non-compliance with the electoral act in the conduct of the election by INEC.

In its ruling, the three-member panel led by Justice Adekunle Adeleye dismissed the petition for lack of merit.

The panel held that the petitioner was unable to prove his case against the respondent.

The tribunal ruled that the allegations of substantial non-compliance with the electoral act in the conduct of the elections were not sufficiently proved by Udofia and his party.

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