Immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has been sacked as candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja.
Delivering Judgement, a three-member panel of justices led by Justice Danlami Senchi, held that Akpabio failed to file a proof of arguments within the time provided by the rules.
The panel further ruled that Akpabio, being a presidential aspirant of the APC, could not participate in the valid primary of the party held on May 28 and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which produced Udom Ekpoudom as a candidate.
The Appellate Court also set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja, which had on September 22, asked INEC to reinstate Senator Akpabio as APC’s candidate, being the candidate nominated by the party in the second primary of June 9.
