...REQUESTS DISBANDMENT OR RELOCATION OF TRIBUNAL TO ABUJA.

Senator Albert Bassey Akpan, the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the last election, has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal, to relocate the Governorship Election Petirion Tribunal sitting in Uyo to Abuja, following threats to his life, those of lawyers as well as his witnesses.

Senator Akpan, popularly known as OBA is before the tribunal as a petitioner in EPT/ AKW/GOV/01/2023, between him & Anor. V. INEC & 2 Ors., and 4th Respondent in Mr Akanimo A. Udofia & Anor. V. INEC & 4 Ors.

In the petition, a copy of which was also sent to the Chairman of the tribunal sitting in Uyo, OBA’s lead counsel, Ahmed Raji SAN, said the request for relocation was compelled by a number of “unsavoury life-threatening” experiences which his client, the lawyers and witnesses have gone through, particularly after the proceedings of 20th June 2023.

The petitioner said: “It is very clear to us that our lives are no longer safe in Akwa Ibom State. This has completely eroded the possibility of having a just, safe and fair trial in Uyo”. He also suggested that the tribunal should be disbanded.

He specifically blamed the June 20, 2023 attack by a combined team of police and army on Umo Eno, the current Governor of Akwa Ibom State, who is a party the Petitions above.

He recalled to their Lordships that initially, the petitioner had tried persuading Mr Daniel Akpan (a staff of the University of Uyo) to testify “but he repeatedly declined, on the ground that his life was under threat by some unknown persons, who claimed he ought not to have certified the academic records of Eno Umo Bassey-the Governor Akwa Ibom State. The life threats were so much, that he had to move his family from Uyo”.

“On this premise, the Petitioners were compelled to have sub poena served on him. He was invited to testify in Court and give evidence as to whether he is a staff the University of Uyo, who certified the Academic records of of Eno Umo Bassey, indicating that he was expelled from the school, because he had no verifiable results from the West African Examinations Council
(WAEC).”

“During the proceeding of 20th June 2023, the said witness - Daniel Akpan, was still resisted from testifying, by unknown men and supporters of Eno Umo Bassey. As a proactive measure, the Petitioners had to apply for additional reinforcement and security personnel, to secure the perimeters, both for the witness, himself and his team of lawyers”.

OBA’s lawyer, however regretted that even after he appealed for some protection for the witness, the tribunal “appeared to downplay the importance of the life of Daniel Akpan, who came to testify, in honour of the sub poena.”

The petition contiuned: “While the said witness was in the Witness Box, he complained to the Honourable Tribunal, that he had been receiving several calls by unknown persons, warning him not to give evidence at the Tribunal. He equally complained to the Honourable Tribunal that these persons threatened to kill him; and for this, he solicited protection from the Court. Unfortunately, the Tribunal rebuffed this complaint, perhaps because he was perceived to be a helpless common man”.

“As a follow up to the anxiety of Daniel Akpan, I passionately appealed to the Honourable Tribunal for a covering Order in his favour. I respectfully urged the Honourable Tribunal to make a covering and protective Order, that nobody should arrest or whisk away the witness because he appeared to give evidence, in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (sub poena)”, the petition added.

The sit is becoming hot

Dpen11:
The sit is becoming hot

Yes o

Every truthful person in akwaibom knows that Umo Eno doesn't have waec results. To make matters worse he was expelled from the school for using fake results with jus 4 credits excluding maths n English to gain fraudulent admissions before he was explled. but unfortunately the former governor had sunk in so much billions from the state treasury to bury this case with the support of our Corrupt judges but I think God is about to shame all of them. Senator OBA is the people's choice