The Akwa Ibom State candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the March 9,2019 governorship election, Obong Nsima Ekere said that the essence of him and his party being at the state governorship election petition tribunal is to seek justice for the entire Akwa Ibom people and to set good electoral and judicial precedents in the country.
Speaking to newsmen through his lead counsel, Barr. J.S. Okutepa SAN after the court session on Tuesday, August 26, Ekere opined that the electoral process starts with accreditation and end with the declaration and return and that if one of the methods misses, the process cannot be said to be valid.
“What took place in Akwa Ibom State on March 9, 2019, did not follow INEC guidelines and known electoral act and principles.”
“We came to the tribunal because Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), a supposed electoral umpire, decided to be partisan. Accreditation of voters is the first foundation any election rest on and was not carried out by them during the election. Our problem is not who they (INEC) declared as the winner of that election. Our problem is, how did the person so declared emerged.”
“It may interest you to know that we have tendered certified true copy of INEC documents. We did not get them from the moon. We got them from INEC.In law, documents speak for themselves. We have tendered those documents before the Lordships at the tribunal. It is on this premise that we want justice in this case because we came for justice”.
“We have proven our case of violence, thuggery, substantial non-compliance with known electoral laws and INEC guidelines beyond every reasonable doubt, and the tribunal needs to dispense justice without fear or favour”.
According to Ekere,” justice precedes judgement. The tribunal should not go for judgement, but justice”.
