A former Attorney‑General of Akwa Ibom State and head of the legal team for Pastor Umo Eno, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming election, Uwemedimo Nwoko (SAN), has dismissed rumors that House of Representatives member for Uyo, Michael Enyong, has replaced Eno as the party’s candidate in the state. Enyong, a PDP governorship aspirant, approached the Abuja High Court and obtained a judgment declaring himself the authentic winner of a primary he reportedly conducted at his house.
Speaking with journalists on Sunday evening in Uyo, Nwoko urged the public to ignore what he described as misinformation spread on social media by “purveyors of fake news.” He argued that the judgment obtained by Enyong is untenable on three grounds: fraud, lack of due service to the parties listed, and lack of jurisdiction. Moreover, a motion for a stay of execution is pending before a Federal High Court in Abuja by Eno and before the Court of Appeal by the PDP, meaning the federal high court’s decision cannot take effect until those motions are resolved.
“The PDP, through its representative Paul Usoro (SAN), has filed a stay of execution. There is a stay of execution motion at the Court of Appeal. Mike Enyong is not—and cannot be—the PDP candidate in Akwa Ibom State because the purported judgment he holds is not valid,” Nwoko said.
While affirming that Eno remains the authentic PDP candidate, Nwoko encouraged doubters to verify the information on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) website. “As of yesterday, I accessed the INCE website, visited their office in Abuja, and printed a coloured document confirming that Pastor Umo Eno is the PDP candidate in Akwa Ibom State,” he explained. He added that Enyong’s claim of a Federal High Court judgment does not affect Eno’s candidacy, describing the judgment as obtained fraudulently and noting that Enyong has refused to make it public.
Nwoko noted that Enyong has not presented a certified true copy of the judgment to INEC. “I was at INEC headquarters on Friday; they have not received any letter from him. He has not written to INEC or attempted to present that judgment or ask INEC to substitute his name for Umo Eno’s,” he said. Attempts to contact Enyong for comment were unsuccessful, as his mobile line was switched off at the time of this report.
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