The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the victory of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom at election tribunal was divinely orchestrated and delivered.
The party who spoke through its Publicity Secretary in the state, Bar. Ini Ememobong, noted that the victory was an affirmation of the confidence reposed in the governor at the polls by the Akwa Ibom electorates.
“The victory is an affirmation of the election that was conducted. It’s a merger of law and fact.
The law confirm that the announcement by INEC was in order. The administration has never been distracted, it has been on the completion agenda that the governor is pursuing. In the mist of all the legal battle the IBOM Air is flying, the Vice President will be here to commission the 21 Storey intelligent Building. Gov Udom Emmanuel was never distracted and kept on. He knew he had a mandate for four years that was divinely orchestrated and that was electorally delivered.”
When asked if the tribunal victory of PDP could make some decampees who had left the party to APC to return, Bar. Ememobong expressed aloofness.
“I wouldn’t want to go into their mind. The ship of state is sailing safely and will berth at a good harbour. The party is open for everyone who has a progressive mind.
The PDP spokesman also maintained that those arguing 2023 ambition are in fools paradise as the party position is clear “2023 is too far and we’re yet to conclude legal processes.”
The three man panel of Elections tribunal in Uyo had on Thursday, unanimously upheld the elections of Gov. Udom.
The Justice A. M. Yakubu led tribunal dismissed the petition of Obong Nsima Ekere and the All Progressives Congress for wanting in Merit.
According to the tribunal judgement that the Petitioners having abandoned their prayers where they claimed ab initio that the first Petitoner, Obong Nsima Ekere was the winner of the elections, all the evidence given in effort to substantiate the said ground is expunged from the considerations of the court in the judgement.
The petitioners failed to follow the laid down rules in front loading and listing all documents they sought to rely on in proof of their petition “Consequently the efforts and attempt by the petitioners to sandwich-in documents not pleaded nor listed by the petitioners is condemnable.”
The court equally noted that the documents were not linked to any parts of the petition and that most of them were mere photocopies of public documents and not the required Certified True Copies of the documents.
That the onus is on the petitioner who alleges irregularities and noncompliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 to prove same. That the Petitioner failed woefully in the discharge of such burden.
Yakubu’s tribunal also rule that the petitioners could neither prove non-compliance nor substantial noncompliance to lead to a cancellation of the elections. For the Petitioner to have complained of noncompliance and irregularities in elections in 799 polling units and only end up calling 43 was grossly inadequate to satisfy the burden of proving noncompliance and irregularities with the provisions of the Electoral Act which requires a unit by unit prove, by law.
The petitoners made several allegations of a criminal nature in their petition. The law is that in such cases, the allegation must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Unfortunately.
The petitioners in this case could not prove anything, the doubts in their allegations still dangling, we resolve those cases in favour of the respondents.
However, the Akwa Ibom State APC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Nkereuwem Oyubia when contacted said the party was meeting as regarding the tribunal judgement.
“This is not a small matter, it is the State Working Committee decision now. Once we are through with our meeting the position of the party would be made public.”
Unlike the usual jamboree associated with former governor Akpabio’s election victory, Uyo was relatively quiet with few PDP party faithfuls at the Party secretariat, Divine Mandate secretariat and Barracks Rd where the government House is located.
