Akwa Ibom Reps member fired by Appeal court, orders rerun

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

On Wednesday, the Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo’s election to the House of Representatives, representing Akwa Ibom State’s Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency was declared void by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, had proclaimed Ukpong-Udo of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, the victor of the February 25 polls following a supplementary election in the constituency, as recounts.

Glory Edet, a candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however, put up a fight against his triumph.

The YPP candidate was then dismissed by the Akwa Ibom State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, which also mandated a rerun.

Unsatisfied with the decision, Ukpong-Udo went to the Appeal Court in an attempt to have the tribunal’s decision overturned.

However, in a decision on the subject on Wednesday, a Court of Appeal panel chaired by Justice Abba Mohammed affirmed the tribunal’s findings and mandated a rerun.