Recent details have emerged clarifying why Akpabio requested the withdrawal of the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator-elect in Akwa Ibom State.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Hon. Martins Udoinyang, the APC senatorial candidate for Eket Senatorial District in the February 25 National Assembly elections, withdrew his petition against Senator-elect Ekong Sampson of the PDP over the weekend.
The decision came as a shock to his counsel, Mfon Udeme Esq, and supporters, who were not informed beforehand.
The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Uyo, the state capital, which was hearing the case, was taken aback by the petitioner’s sudden withdrawal.
During his statement on oath and testimony in support of his petition, Udoinyang informed the Tribunal that Senator Akpabio, the APC’s anointed candidate for the position of Senate President in the 10th National Assembly, had personally asked him to drop the petition against Hon. Ekong Sampson.
Udoinyang declared in the open Court that, “I have taken the final decision to discontinue the case.”
He explained that, “my decision to withdraw the petition is based on the intervention of my leader, His Excellency, Senator Godswil Akpabio.”
Udoinyang stated that Senator Akpabio requested the withdrawal because the PDP Senator-elect was fully supporting Akpabio’s aspiration to become the Senate President of Nigeria.
As a result of the mutual consent of the concerned parties, including the Petitioners’ counsel, Uwemedimo Nwoko (SAN), Prof. Smith (SAN) for the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Emmanuel Akpan Esq for the PDP, the panel dismissed the case with a chorus of “as the Court pleases.”
