Tribunal Voids YPP’s Ukpong-Udo, Orders Re-Run

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on 05th May, declared incumbent Ukpong-Udo of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) as the winner of the February 25 House of Representatives election conducted in Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State.

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The YPP Candidate was announced to have scored 19926 votes, ahead of his closest challenger, Glory Emmanuel Edet of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s 15765 votes.

Recall that, following the violence that occurred on 25th February especially in Itak, Ikono LGA; INEC declared the election inconclusive and scheduled a supplementary election in certain polling units on April 15, 2023.

However in April, all the polling units where the re-run held, were met with violence following snatching of electoral materials, hijacking of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, intimidation of voters and refusing them to exercise their rights, including the shooting of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member on election duty.

INEC thereafter cancelled the re-run election without declaring a winner. Ironically, INEC declared the YPP Candidate as winner almost one month later.

Obviously unhappy with the declaration, Edet & the PDP through Uwemedimo Nwoko SAN, approached the tribunal seeking the invalidation of the return of Ukpong-Udo.

The tribunal held that the declaration and return of the YPP Candidate, Ukpong-Udo, was done in clear violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

The three-man panel ordered INEC to conduct a supplementary election in the 33 affected Polling Units within 90 days.

Ukpong-Udo has announced he will appeal the judgement.

The Appeal Court sitting in Lagos also re-affirmed the declaration and return of Umo Eno as Governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Petitions by Akpan Abraham for the Action Alliance, Emem Coffie (Accord Party), Bassey Akpan (YPP) and Akanimo Ekpo of the APC were unanimously dismissed at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Uyo.

The four aggrieved Parties approached the Appellate Court who dismissed the petitions of the Action Alliance, Accord Party and their Candidates as lacking in merit, and thereafter reserved Judgement in the APC & YPP appeals.