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Joe Effiong, Uyo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has now got one member in the Akwa ibom House of Assembly following the declaration of Mr Nse Ntuen of Essien Udim state constituency the winner by the House of Assembly Elections Tribunal, sitting in Uyo, on Sunday.
Delivering judgment in the petition filed against the election victory of Ntuen of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) candidate, Justice Akanbi, ordered the INEC to issue the APC candidate Certificate of Return, having been declared and returned by the returning officer.
Ntuen who led a faction of the Assembly late last year as speaker following their sack by the leadership of the Assembly for defecting to APC, was refused certificate of return by Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) though he was allegedly declared the winner by the Returning Officer after the election.
Ntuen while reacting to the ruling, thanked the leadership of his partybfor standing by him throughout the needless challenge, describing the legal triumph as “victory of light over darkness”.
” I thank the living God, the APC family, our political leaders and particularly, my mentor and leader, the Hon Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio and wife among numerous others.The judgment is simply the victory of light over darkness,” he declared.
However , other petitions filed by other APC House of Assembly candidates suffered defeat as the tribunal confirmed the elections of PDP house members for Abak, Itu and Etim Ekpo state constituencies and made Ntuen the lone minority member of the house.
