The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has replaced Umo Eno as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State for the 2023 general elections with Michael Enyong, a federal lawmaker.
54-year-old Enyong currently represents Uyo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
A check on the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday showed that Mr Enyong is the new PDP governorship candidate in the state.
Mr Eno is Udom Emmanuel’s preferred successor, and also won the party primary last year.
The Commission cited “court order” as the reason for the replacement, which is marked “amendment 4” on its website.
ThisDay newspaper in January reported that a Federal High Court in Abuja declared Mr Enyong the authentic PDP governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom state.
The trial judge, Fadima Aminu, gave the judgment on 20 January. The court ordered INEC to forthwith recognise and publish Mr Enyong’s name as a candidate of the PDP for the 11 March governorship election in Akwa Ibom.
Although the PDP has appealed the judgment of the lower court, the appellate court in Abuja was yet to decide on the matter.
The PDP conducted its governorship primary in the state on 25 May last year at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium which Mr Eno, a former commissioner for Lands and Water Resources in the state, polled 993 votes to clinch the party ticket.
His closest rivals, Onofiok Luke and Akan Okon, had three votes each in a primary that recorded two void votes from the 1, 018 delegates accredited for the exercise.
Mr Enyong, however, emerged a winner in a primary that was conducted in his house at Ewet Housing Estate, which was not monitored by INEC officials as mandated by the law.
The PDP spokesperson in the state, Borono Bassey, did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking his comments on the matter.
