Court reserves judgment on Ndoma-Egba, other Appeals

By Nsa Gil, Calabar

The Appeal Court in Calabar, Cross River State has reserved judgment for Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and 16 other cases in Calabar, Cross River State.

Ndoma-Egba of the All Progressive Congress(APC) is challenging the decision of the elections petition tribunal that confirmed Senator Sandy Onor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the Central Senatorial District election of the February 23 in the State.

Other cases which came up for adoption of the brief of Appeals include that of Chief Alex Egbonna of APC against the declaration of John-Gaul Labo of PDP by the tribunal for Yakurr/Abi federal constituency; that of Victor Abang of APC against Chris Agibe of PDP for Ikom /Boki Federal Constituency; that of Egbe Abeng Egbe of APC against Mike Etaba of APC for Obubra /Etung Federal Constituency, Akiba Bassey Ekpenyong of APC against Mr Eta Mbora of PDP for Calabar Municipality/Odukpani Federal Constituency among others.

The cases were presided over by a new special Appeal Court members led by Justice T. Abubakar as well as Justice P O.Elechi, and Justice A.A. Wambai as members.

After listening to all the submissions for the 17 cases that were brought before it, the court ruled that judgment is reserved for a date to be communicated to the parties in due course.

However, in one of the cases, one Mr Egbe Eworo a factional candidate of the APC loyal to the former Minister of Niger Delta Pastor Usani Usani, moved to be joined by Cross-appealing the case between Egbonna of APC and Labo of PDP.

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The court frowned at it as an abuse of judicial process which the counsel to Eworo, Mr Lazarous Izabi-Udie admitted and willingly withdraw the case. Consequently, the judge said, “the suit is hereby dismissed and we order that the appeal be deleted from our list” .

Counsel to Ñdoma-Egba, Chief Emeka Offodile (SAN), Paul Erokoro (SAN) for Onor and other counsels had duly adopted their submissions before the cases were adjourned for judgment.

The lower tribunal had on September 5 concluded all the cases at its disposal and the main issue in contention by the APC candidates were their exclusion from contesting the February 23 elections by INEC while Labo was challenging the declaration of Egbonna by INEC as winner saying he was not a candidate of APC as the time of election.