By Esseh Ikora
The High Court 2, sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital has adjourned to January 8, 2018, for hearing in the case of violation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) guideline regarding the just concluded Local Government elections.
Ubong Akai, who instituted the case against the incumbent Chairman of Esit Eket Local Government Area, Iniobong Robson, is seeking the determination of the Court as to whether the defendant (Robson) was eligible to contest the PDP primary of September 18, 2017.
The plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Nsikak Akai, who spoke to reporters on the sideline of the Court, yesterday, explained that Robson violated the clause in PDP guidelines, which stipulates that “aspirants for the Local Government elections must resign his or her appointment 30 days before the primary”.
According to Akai,“we have evidence that Robson, who was the then Chairman,Esit Eket Local Government Council, failed to resign his appointment within the stipulated 30 days as stipulated in the PDP guidelines.
“Robson was still signing documents as at September 15, 2017, while the primary that produced him as the winner took place on September 18, 2017, which is a clear breach of the party guideline.
The plaintiff is challenging the eligibility of the Chairman, Mr. Iniobong Robson, to stand for the PDP nomination. He sought the order of the Court to sack him and declare the candidate who came second in the party primaries as the rightful candidate for the exercise”, he stressed.
The defense lawyer, Chief Bassey Dan Abia (Jnr), was absent in Court, but the PDP defense Counsel, Mr. Goddy Umoh, who was also joined in the suit, begged the Court to adjourned the matter to a new date.
Abia told the court that the Counsel to the first respondent was critically ill and had been admitted at the University of Ibadan Teaching hospital.
He pleaded with the Court to adjourn the matter to either 17 or 18 of January 2018, with the hope that Abia would be strong enough to appear and argue for his client.
But the presiding Judge, Hon. Justice Ekaette Obot, declined and instead adjourned the matter to January 8, 2018, warning that it would be the last time she would shift the case and urged parties to be prepared to do business in the next adjourned date.
