Senatorial Election: Godswill Akpabio  Sacked, Was Not Qualified To Run

By Gideon Njoku

For Godswill Akpabio, immediate past Minister for the Niger Delta, it was the end of the road to his Senatorial ambition on Monday, November 14, 2022.

A three-man Panel of the Court of Appeal Abuja Division, has sacked him, and stripped him of the candidacy of the Akwa Ibom  North-west Senatorial District.

In his place, the Court gave the ticket to the man who originally won it, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Udom Ekpeudom, before Akpabio barged in after a woeful run for the Presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The appeal was filed by Ekpeudom who won the Primary, before Akpabio forced another Primary election on losing the Presidential ticket. He was declared winner, but Ekpeudom challenged what he saw as an arrogant injustice.

However, on September 22, the Honourable Justice Emeka Nwite ruled in Akpabio’s favour prompting the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to publish his name as the APC Senatorial candidate.

But Ekpeudom appealed what he saw as an injustice to the Court of Appeal.

On Monday, November 14, 2022, the Court of Appeal sacked Akpabio and ordered INEC to withdraw Akpabio’s name and publish Ekpeudom’s as the  candidate.

Delivering the judgment on behalf of his brother-Judges, the Honourable Justice Danlami Senchi,  said Akpabio was principally sacked for two reasons. One, he failed to file a proof of argument within the time provided by the rules. And secondly, he was a Presidential aspirant in the APC Presidential Primary. Being a Presidential aspirant, the Court said he could not have participated in the Senatorial Primary held on May 27.  The Primary was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Akpabio was a two-term PDP Governor. At the end of his tenure, he won a Senate seat still under the PDP and became the Minority Senate Leader.

He, later, inexplicably, defected to the APC. He lost a re-election to the Senate, and was appointed the Minister for Niger Delta.

He quit the office to run for the Presidential ticket. Seeing failure staring him in the face, he stood down for the eventual winner, Asiwaju  Bola Tinubu.

Unfortunately for him, President Muhammadu Buhari did not give him back his office as Minister. He again muscled himself into the Senatorial race, even after it had been held in his absence. He forced a re-run and won, depriving Ekpeudom who first won the ticket.

The Court of Appeal finally settled his fate on Monday. It gave back Ekpeudom the APC Senatorial ticket for Akwa Ibom North-west Senatorial District.