2023: Court rejects attempt to stop Akan Udofia’s suit against INEC

By Adeleye Kunle

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday rejected a bid by Senator Ita Enang to strike out Akan Udofia’s suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Udofia, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, had filed an action to compel INEC to publish his name and particulars having been declared the winner of the party primaries.

Though INEC in its list published in Akwa Ibom on Wednesday, had the names of all the candidates of the 36 political parties except APC, whose candidate’s name was conspicuously missing.

Ita Enang, a governorship aspirant of the party had prayed the court to stop Udofia from instituting a case against INEC, saying that it was filed out of time.

But, Counsel to Udofia, Valentine Offia, while addressing the court, argued that INEC’s omission of Akan Udofia’s name occured on the 22nd of July while the suit was filed on 1st of August 2022.

He further established that the computation of time falls within the statutory 14 days period for such pre-election matters prescribed in 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The Court upheld Akan Udofia’s argument that the case was properly filed in time thereby thwarting any move by Senator Ita Enang to render it out of time.