The Akwa Ibom State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Michael Enoyong, has been sacked by an appeal court sitting in Abuja.
Recall that Enoyong, recently emerged as the governorship candidate following a court order issued by a Federal High Court.
According to The PUNCH, following Enoyong’s dismissal, the court ruled that the mandate of Pastor Umo Eno, who had previously emerged as the winner of the party’s primary, be restored.
In addition, the court ordered Enyong to pay the appellant N1 million in costs.
Enyong, who was claimed to have emerged as the party’s candidate in a factional primary conducted by some of the party’s statutory delegates in Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, was ratified by a Federal High Court decision on January 20, 2023.
The PDP in Akwa Ibom and at the national level had rejected the order and quickly challenged it, resulting in the Court of Appeal’s verdict in Abuja on Tuesday.
In the decision rendered by Judge Hamma Barka, the court vacated the Federal High Court’s decision on the grounds that it was based on mistakes.
Justice Barka concurred with counsel for the PDP, Mr Paul Usoro SAN, and Uwemedimo Nwoko that the Federal High Court judgment was rendered in error and that the court was misled by the plaintiff in the matter to reach an unjust conclusion, particularly regarding the use of statutory delegates that the party had disqualified from the process.
The judge, held, “The issue of statutory delegates who voted at the primary election is an internal affair of the party and that the lower court ought not to have inquired into the issue.”
