TheHILL | POLITICS | OCTOBER 20.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for Essien Udim State Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, in the last general election , Hon Nse Ntuen, seems to have been forced to withdraw his suit challenging the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Hon Ese Umoh, who was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ntuen, who was a staunch supporter of the current Minister, Niger Delta Affairs Ministry, Senator Godswill Akpabio, defected with his mentor and was given an automatic return ticket by the state chapter of the APC through the support of Akpabio.
Recall, after the election, Ntuen was pronounced winner of the election by the Returning Officer, but the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, did not present him with the Certificate of Return (CoR).
That decision by Igini, led to litigations at the Election Tribunal up to the Appeal Court. The tribunal in its judgment, ordered the INEC to issue Ntuen with his CoR but he was adamant.
Ntuen and his legal team headed to the Appeal Court in Calabar to seek redress. While the case was still ongoing in the Court of Appeal and success of the Appeal, almost in matter of days. Ntuen, without the knowledge of his Lead Counsel, wrote a letter to the Court, seeking discontinuation of the case.
The letter of withdrawal personally signed by Ntuen is in the possession of TheHILL.
Investigations on the sudden withdrawal revealed that the former lawmaker, in an action largely seen as betrayal of trust, took the action unilaterally without consulting his counsel, Barrister Patrick Umoh and even his mentor, Senator Akpabio, who was responsible for the legal fees.
Further investigations by TheHILL, divulged that the embattled former lawmaker, who was at the verge of winning the legal tussle, must have been compelled by the powers that be to withdraw the suit to avoid the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), losing a seat in the PDP dominated House.
It is alleged that the withdrawal was a product of intense and well coordinated horse- trading, brokered by the Commissioner for Investment, Prince Ukpong Akpabio, who was said to have literally ‘dragged’ Hon Ntuen before the State Chief Executive, who must have offered him irresistible financial compensation and offsetting of all the expenses he incurred while pursuing the case.
Our findings further revealed that “the move is part of the 2023 political calculation to sell the opposition APC in the state to the PDP”.
It would be recalled that Hon Ntuen, apart from fighting to reclaim his mandate at the election tribunal, had to battle with alleged perjury.
He was alleged to have faked his class of degree from 2/2 to 2/1. The case went up to the Supreme court where he was neither discharged nor aquitted. The Supreme Court noted that the allegation, which was a pre-election matter, was brought outside the stipulated period allowed by the law.
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Contentions in informed political circle are that, with his move to make peace with Governor Udom Emmanuel and his government, has he thought about the current living condition of the University Don who declared him winner? The Professor is said to be down with stroke as at press time.
Hon Ntuen neither picked nor returned our calls to his known Airtel and MTN numbers.
