Umo Eno, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been confirmed by the Supreme Court as the rightfully elected governor of Akwa Ibom State.
This decision was made after the court rejected the objections raised by three political parties regarding the election results from March 18, 2023.
The apex court panel, presided over by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, dismissed the appeals lodged by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Young Progressives Party (YPP), and the Action Alliance (AC). These appeals questioned the governor’s eligibility due to allegations of certificate forgery, which Eno refuted.
The Court of Appeal had previously upheld the decision to dismiss the lawsuit that contested the primary election that led to Umo Eno’s nomination as the PDP’s candidate.
Okon had petitioned the court to disqualify Eno, alleging that he had submitted a forged West African Examination Certificate (WAEC) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election.
However, the appellate court dismissed Okon’s lawsuit due to lack of merit and imposed a penalty of 15 million naira on the plaintiff.
The judge concluded that Okon’s claims were speculative and that he failed to provide sufficient evidence to convince the court that Eno’s certificates were fraudulent.