A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to acknowledge and publish Godswil Akpabio as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial district in 2023.
Presiding Judge, Justice Nwite, ruled that INEC acted illegally by refusing to accept Akpabio and publish his name even after it had received the name from the APC as its candidate.
He ruled that INEC was wrong to disregard the APC as they were in full compliance with the Electoral Act and ordered it to publish Akpabio’s name with immediate effect.
Justice Nwite also said that INEC cannot unilaterally pronounce a primary election invalid as that power is only accorded to the court by the law.
