Akan Okon vs Umo Eno: Court to deliver judgement November 28

By Adeleye Kunle

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, has adjourned the alleged certificate forgery case against the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Pastor Umo Eno, to November 28 for final judgement.

Akan Okon, a governorship aspirant of PDP has sought the disqualification of the governorship candidate, Pastor Eno, on the basis of alleged fake 1981 and 1983 WAEC results, falsified birth certificate and fake voter’s card.

The presiding judge, Justice Agatha Okeke, made the adjournment on Friday, after adopting the joint final written address by Counsel to the defendants, Paul Usoro, SAN.

In his submission, the defence counsel, Usoro urged the Court in Uyo to dismiss and trash the suit filed against the Governorship candidate by Mr Akan Okon, describing it as “frivolous, tendentious and wholly speculative.”

He sought that a substantive cost be awarded against the plaintiff, Mr Okon saying that he has “failed to prove any iota of his allegations against the 2nd Defendant and as such does not deserve a favourable outcome.”

He further argued that “Pastor Eno, in all respects, is qualified to fly the party’s flag in the governorship elections, having scored the highest votes of 993 and also possessing the constitutional qualifications for the office.”

Describing the suit as an abuse of court process, he maintained that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit and prayed all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff be denied.

He also referred the court to the preliminary objections contained in the 1st and 2nd defendants joint written address that the court lacked jurisdiction on the matter which was supported by a six-paragraph affidavit sworn to by one of the counsel to the defendants, Felix Orok.

Paul Usoro, SAN also adopted the 1st and 2nd defendants’ written address on objections to 12 exhibits tendered by the plaintiff and provisionally admitted by the court