A former Minister of Petroleum and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, Don Etiebet, has said that the judgement of the Supreme Court, which affirmed Senator Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West district would not change their earlier resolve to vote for an Abak-5 candidate in the forthcoming election.
The apex court had in a unanimous judgement on Friday delivered by justice Ibrahim Saulawa upheld the judgement of the federal high court Abuja which granted verdict in favour of Akpabio
Saulawa, after reviewing the arguments canvassed by the immediate past minister of Niger Delta Affairs, said that his appeal was meritorious and, therefore, allowed.
Reacting to the judgement in an interview with newsmen on Friday, Etiebet said, “We in the district do not accept the verdict because of the inherent inconsistencies in the run off to the primaries in our layman’s view but we fully respect the judgement having come from a court and the Supreme Court for that matter.
“Although this point was not adduced in the Court, we from the Senatorial District have since resolved that it is the turn of Abak-5 zone of the District and in particular, the Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency to produce the senator this time around since all the other three Federal Constituencies in the Senatorial District have produced senators several times.
“The Federal Constituency of Ikot Ekpene where Senator Godswill Akpabio comes from has produced five senators since 1960 or three senators since 1999 including Godswill Akpabio himself, whereas the Abak Federal Constituency has produced none since 1960.
“That is why we in the District unanimously nominated Deputy Inspector-general of Police, Udom Ekpoudom (retd) from Etim Ekpo LGA of Abak Federal Constituency to contest under our great APC banner.”
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