A group, the Coalition for Regional Development and Good Governance has commended the Federal High Court in Abuja for ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept and publish the name of Godswill Akpabio as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Akwa Ibom North/West Senatorial District for next year’s general elections.

The group urged INEC to obey the ruling of the Federal High Court by publishing the name of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs as the APC senatorial candidate.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in a judgment on Thursday, held that INEC acted illegally by refusing to accept and publish Akpabio’s name when it was submitted to it by the APC as its candidate.

Justice Nwite found that Akpabio was validly nominated as the Akwa – Ibom North/West Senatorial District candidate of the APC from the primary conducted by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on June 9, 2022.

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The judge declared that INEC “is bound by the provisions of Section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act to publish only the personal particulars of the candidate of the first plaintiff for the Akwa-Iborn North/West Senatorial District elections in the person of the second plaintiff (Akpabio) as received from the first plaintiff.

The judge also declared that INEC cannot publish any other name or particulars of any other candidate as the candidate of the APC for the Akwa Ibom North/West Senatorial District election, except as nominated, submitted and received from the first plaintiff (APC).

He then ordered INEC to publish the name and particulars of Akpabio as the candidate of the APC for the Akwa-Iborn North/West Senatorial District in next year’s general elections as nominated and submitted to it by the party.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its Convener, Attahiru Bashir, the group said: “We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission and Chairman of the Commission to obey the ruling of the court.