Akan Okon Vs Umo Eno: How Wobbling Case Has Failed To Scratch PDP Governorship Candidate

The Evangelist edition
October 14, 2022
By Essien NDUESO

As the doors of Justice Agatha Okeke presided Federal High Court, Uyo are flung open today for the adoption of written addresses in the matter between Mr Akan Okon and the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Pastor Umo Eno, the plaintiff, Mr Akan Okon is expected to face a herculean task in saving his case from being flushed into the trash can of history.

Mr Akan Okon’s case before the court is the allegations of forgery of WAEC certificates, falsification of date of birth and possession of a fake voter’s card by the defendant, Pastor Umo Eno, which the petitioner feels should disqualify him from being the party’s governorship candidate in next year’s elections. Despite falling way beyond the mark with only 3 miserable votes, Akan Okon wants the court to declare him the winner of the primary and subsequently disqualify the actual winner, Pastor Umo Eno

Mr Akan Okon is basically relying on a document purportedly written by the West African Examinations Council, WAEC to a faceless group, Association for the Advancement of Democracy in Nigeria, AADN. This was however deconstructed by a police investigator who cleared doubts in that regard, having established that the organisation was non existent. The police investigator also revealed that the purported disclaimer letter used as evidence by Akan Okon was actually forged and never emanate from the examination body.

To further shred the allegations by Akan Okon, The examination authority, West African Examination Council, WAEC, on subpoena by the court, sent a senior official who appeared before the court to affirm that the contentious results of Pastor Umo Eno were duly issued by the examination council.

For a case where Akan Okon is seeking declaratory reliefs and wants to be declared a candidate of the party despite a paltry three votes he fingered, he is expected to rely on the strength of his case. So in the trial that has attracted several attention, it can be asked, how strongly has Akan established his case?
To nail the coffin of Mr Okon’s case, he has neither presented a certificate of conviction of the defendant for forgery by any court of competent jurisdiction nor has the certificate issuing institutions come to court to disown examination certificates and voter’s card being used by the defendant Pastor Umo Eno.
Since Mr Akan Okon who had the onus to prove his allegation, failed to live up to expectation, he is returning to court this Friday with the expectation of failure. Despite wasting the time of the court, his case has all the qualifications to be thrown out of court for lacking in substance.