By Etim Etim
Just four weeks to the elections, the battle for the governorship ticket of APC in Akwa Ibom State is still raging as Senator Ita Solomon Enang is appealing the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered yesterday to the Supreme Court. Speaking to this writer this morning, Enang also expressed dismay that he was not even informed that the judgment on his case would be read that yesterday.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had yesterday dismissed Enang’s defence in an appeal filed by Akan Udofia against the judgment of the Federal High Court, Uyo. The Federal High Court had in November ordered that Udofia did not win the APC governorship primary conducted on May 26 because he was not even a member of APC; and that INEC did not even monitor the primary as stipulated by the Electoral Act of 2022. The FHC had ordered the party to conduct another primary within 14 days after the court judgment. While the Party refused to conduct another primary, Udofia proceeded to the Court of Appeal where he won on technicalities yesterday.
‘’I am appealing the judgement. I am going to the Supreme Court because that judgement of yesterday is not acceptable to me…, Enang bellowed at the other end of the phone this morning’’.
‘’But I understand that you lost because you filed out of time at the Federal High Court’’, I queried.
‘’I did not file out of time. I did not amend out of time. But we shall meet them at the Supreme Court…’’
‘’I also heard that you were not even informed that the judgement of your case was coming up yesterday…’’, I pushed.
‘’You can’t believe what happened’’, Enang said, with a tinge of consternation. ‘’I was informed that the judgement that would be given yesterday was that of Austin Utuk, but not mine. To confirm that, I even called my lawyer who was in Calabar, and he put me on a conference call with the Court Registrar who confirmed that my own judgment was not ready. So, I actually went to the court yesterday to listen to Austin’s judgement. But as soon as I took my seat, lo and behold, it was my case that was called. There was confusion as my lawyers were not even in court. So, I had to quickly arrange another lawyer to hold brief for my lawyer just so that the judgment could be given; and it was too late for me to rush home, get robed and appear for myself’’. Enang is a lawyer of close to 40 years at the bar.
‘That is so strange, Senator. So, tacky. What is the significance of such a mix up then?’’
‘’I won’t discuss that now. But I am waiting to obtain a copy of the judgment delivered yesterday. I am heading to the Supreme Court… Akan Udofia is not APC candidate…’’.
‘’Is Austin also appealing?’’
‘’I learnt so’’.
