The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC Alh. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Cross River State Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,CROSIEC and the Party’s alleged selected Candidate for the Chairmanship of Yakurr Local Government Area election Mr. Yibala Inyang have been taken to Federal High Court Abuja for conducting APCs’ primaries and local government council elections without adherence to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , Electoral Act,2022 and the party’s Constitution.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja recently, a livid Comrade Michael Newgent Ekamon regretted the injustice meted to him by his Party after his sacrifices in the development of the party and the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Explaining his reasons for going to Court, Comrade Ekamon averred that he emerged as a Consensus candidate from a valid primary election conducted by the Party and his name was duly submitted to the Chairman, Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission.
He claimed that he fulfilled every necessary condition stipulated in the Party’s Constitution as well as the electoral Act for the local government election.
Prince Ekamon revealed that he was issued with CROSIEC form 006A following his emergence and endorsement by the National Chairman of the Party Alh. Abdullahi Ganduje as the Candidate for Yakurr Local Government Chairmanship election .
The APC stalwart averred that following the expiration of the local government Chairmanship tenure in 2023, he was returned unopposed as the APC Candidate for Yakurr local government area.
He further stated that the former Governor of the state Sen. Ben Ayade of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, intervened in the local governments ‘ election, hand-picked and super imposed a candidate of his choice against the will of the electorate thereby crashing his success at the polls
and later decamped to the All Progressives Congress to legitimize his actions.
He maintained that since his election in 2019/2020, there has not been any valid congress or election in adherence to the party’s constitution and thus the hand picking of the APC candidate for the Yakurr Local government council chairmanship election was in breach of the party’s constitution, guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2022.
Chief Ekamon observed that the change in the electoral Act of 2022 in relation to time frame has nullified the Governor’s haste to conduct local government election and so the court should nullify the nomination of Yibala Inyang as the candidate of APC and the elections conducted by the CROSIEC leading to his emergence in violation to the Party’s constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022.
He described the action of the Party in connivance with CROSIEC in the choice of Mr. Yibala Inyang as the Candidate for Yakurr local government election illegal and offending to the Party’s constitution as well as the electoral Act and thus the elections should be nullified.
Hon. Michael Newgent Ekamon stated that he still remains the Candidate of the APC for the Yakurr 2024 local government Chairmanship election since there has never been any valid or credible primaries since his emergence.
He restated his commitment to fight the injustice maintaining that as the people’s choice, the hope and democratic values of the electorate have been torpedoed following a kangaroo selection of Mr. Yibala Inyang by the national Chairman, CROSIEC and the Governor.
“This action cannot stand and I am ready for battle until justice is achieved. The hope and aspirations of my people cannot be scuttled by undemocratic, electoral and Constitutional breaches,” he concluded.
In suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1626 dated 29th October, 2024, Chief Ekamon sought amongst others an order of perpetual injunction restraining the All Progressives Congress and CROSIEC from fielding Mr. Yibala Inyang as the Party’s Candidate for Yakurr local government since there was no valid primaries from where he emerged in compliance with the Electoral Act of 2024; an order directing the Party to reforward his name to CROSIEC as the Candidate for the Chairmanship election in Yakurr local government; damages for expenses incurred.
He further maintained that the CROSIEC conduct of the elections without compliance with the Constitution of the party and the electoral act amounted to a breach and thus in line with the AGFs’ forewarning statement, the elections should be nullified. And the failure to reforward the name of Prince Michael Newgent Ekamon JP by the party as it candidate also amounted to a constitutional violation of his right to vote and be voted for.