DIG Udom Ekpoudom (retd) will appeal the two judgements of the Federal High Court Abuja which sacked him the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Akwa Ibom NorthWest senatorial district.
This was made known in a statement signed by the DG of his campaign organization, Mr. Uwem Udoma and made available to journalists in Uyo yesterday.
The statement reads, “Team Ekpoudom is aware of the two judgements of the Federal High Court Abuja, one mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to include the name of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the APC candidate for the February 25, 2023 Senatorial election, and the second dismissing the suit filed by Rtd DIG Udom Ekpoudom.
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“In accordance with the law, we have instructed our legal team to promptly appeal both Justice Emeka Nwite’s judgement (FHC/ABJ/CS/1011/2022) of September 15, 2022 and Justice Donatus Okorowo’s judgement (FHC/ABJ/CS/1000/2022) of September 23, 2022. Consequently, we hereby urge all members of the Campaign Organization and APC supporters in the Senatorial District to remain calm and resolute as notwithstanding this “temporal setback”, we shall explore all legal and constitutional means to ensure that the mandate entrusted to DIG Udom Ekpoudom Rtd is legally protected.
An Abuja Federal High Court, presided over by Justice David Okorowo, had on Friday dismissed Ekpoudom’s suit against the APC INEC. The court upheld the preliminary objection filed by counsel to APC to hold that the failure to join Senator Godswill Akpabio as a party to the suit rendered the suit incompetent.
It equally held that the primaries that produced Udom Udo Ekpoudom was not authorized by the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress but rather by a dissident state Chapter of the APC and therefore invalid. The court held that any party primary organised by the state Chapter of a political party is invalid. The APC was represented in the suit by Umeh Kalu SAN, Valentine Offia and Adekunle Kosoko, while Udom Udo Ekpoudom was represented by Victor Odjeme.