A’Ibom APC Primary Fallouts: Austin Utuk Asks Court To Bar Guber Candidate, Akan Udofia

• Seeks His Disqualification By INEC, Party

The Akwa Ibom State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship tussle has moved to the courts as another leading APC governorship aspirant in the State, Mr Austin Utuk has raised a case against Mr Akan Udofia, who was declared as the guber candidate in the state alongside others before the Federal High Court in Uyo.

The lawsuit will come up Wednesday 22nd June 2022 two days after a similar case was filed by Sen. Ita Enang against the same list of defendants at the Federal High Court follows allegations of inappropriate primaries and the announcement of a ‘PDP aspirant’ as APC standard-bearer in the state.

As a prayer, Mr Austin Utuk wants the court to restrain Mr Udofia from parading himself as APC governorship candidate of Akwa Ibom.

In the suit number FHC/UY/CS/115/2022, the plaintiff, Mr Austin Utuk prayed the court to declare the 3rd defendant, Mr Akan Udofia as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and therefore ineligible and unqualified to contest for the primaries of the APC.

Mr Utuk also claimed the process and procedures which threw up Akan Udofia be regarded as illegal, unconstitutional and nullified.

Also, Mr Utuk seeks an injunction restraining the 1st defendant, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and APC from allowing Mr Akan Udofia to contest elections as the governorship candidate of APC in the forthcoming 2023 elections in Akwa Ibom State.

Many APC members, associates and citizens of Akwa Ibom State had frowned at the process which brought up Akan Udofia as an APC candidate. A legal practitioner who wanted to see a change of party in the Government House said, “the court most likely may rule against Akan Udofia if it observed that the written processes of the party procedures were breached”.

It would be recalled that our reporter had predicted such scenarios while analysing the pros and cons of APC contenders in the State before the primaries.

Some supporters of APC are angered by the alleged greed expressed by the actions of Akpabio and Udoedehe such that they could not seek reconciliation to salvage the State from PDP. Many citizens of the State claim they have lost hope in PDP’s ability to bring Akwa Ibom into the dreams which Obong Attah fought for.