In a decisive ruling on Friday, the Court of Appeal in Lagos upheld the judgment of the tribunal, solidifying Umo Eno as the duly elected governor of Akwa Ibom state. The court quashed three separate appeals against Eno, asserting the validity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaration.
Led by Justice Festus Obande, the three-member panel of judges dismissed the appeal filed by Bassey Albert and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) against INEC, Umo Eno, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), deeming it lacking in merit.
Additionally, the court ruled in favor of Eno against the petitions by John Udoedehe of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Akanimo Udofia of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating they were devoid of substance.
INEC had declared Umo Eno the winner of the governorship election in Akwa Ibom with 356,348 votes, while Albert secured the second position with 136,262 votes, and Udofia came in third with 129,602 votes.
Discontented with the election outcome, Albert, Udofia, and Udoedehe filed separate appeals at the tribunal, citing issues ranging from certificate forgery to the improper conduct of the PDP’s primary poll that produced Umo Eno as the governorship candidate.
In a judgment delivered in September, the tribunal held that the Supreme Court had already settled the issue of Umo Eno’s qualification and that the petitioners lacked the locus to challenge how the PDP conducted its primaries.
Unfazed by the tribunal verdict, the trio proceeded to the Court of Appeal.
On Friday, the Court of Appeal supported the tribunal’s stance on the certificate forgery allegations against Umo Eno. The judge stated, “On the issue of the academic certificates of the second respondent, no cause of action has arisen or will ever arise regarding his credentials.
No forged certificate was presented to INEC. It has already been held to be genuine by the Supreme Court, so the issue is resolved against the appellant.”
As part of the judgment, the court awarded the sum of N500,000 in favor of Umo Eno and the PDP, against Bassey Albert.