Akpabio behind my sack from Senate; Kalu, 3 others next — Senator Abbo

Elisha Abbo, a sacked Adamawa North senator, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of orchestrating his sack by an Appeal Court on Monday (October 16, 2023).

He also claimed four other senators may suffer same fate for opposing the emergence of Akpabio as Senate President.

NewsWireNGR reports that the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja sacked Senator Elisha Abbo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker representing Adamawa North Senatorial District.

A three-member panel presided over by Justice C.E. Nwosu-Iheme, in a judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Rev. Amos Yohanna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as validly elected lawmaker for the senatorial district.

INEC had, on February 25, declared Mr Abbo as the winner of the senatorial poll.

Dissatisfied with the declaration, Yohana and the PDP filed a petition before the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Yola, Adamawa State challenging the return of Abbo.

The tribunal, in its judgment, dismissed the Yohanna’s petition for lacking in merit.

Further dissatisfied with the tribunal’s decision, the PDP’s candidate, through his counsel Johnson Usman, SAN, approached the Appeal Court via appeal number: CA/YL/EP/AD/SEN/06/2023 between Rev. Amos Kumai Yohanna and another Vs Ishaku Elisha Cliff and others.

The Court of Appeal, after hearing arguments from parties, agreed with Mr Usman that based on Section 137 of the Electoral Act, 2022, the results tendered clearly showed that there was no compliance with the Electoral Act.

The court, thereafter, deducted the invalid votes from the parties and found that Yohanna and PDP won the election by majority of lawful votes.

Reacting to the court’s ruling, Abbo said four other senators who worked against the emergence of Akpabio as Senate President had been targeted for removal from the Red Chamber through the court.

Elisha Abbo, sacked Adamawa North senator, has fingered Senate President Godswill Akpabio in the appeal court ruling which removed him from office.

In an interview with reporters on Monday in Abuja, Abbo specifically mentioned Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC Abia North) as the next target for removal from the Senate.

“I have it from a reliable source that myself and four other senators within the fold of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will be removed from the Senate through rulings from the courts, all because of working against the emergence of Akpabio as President of the 10th Senate.

“I won’t mention the names of all the four other ones targeted, but the next in line is Senator Orji Uzor Kalu,” he said.

He wondered how with over 11,000 votes margin of victory he had above his closest river, Yohanna Amos Yohanna of the Peoples Democratic Party in the election, the Appeal Court upturned his victory.

“The court judgement is strange and the judiciary needs to please remain the last hope of the common man,” Abbo said.

He, however, appealed to his supporters to remain calm, vowing to recontest in 2027.

Akpabio replies

Akpabio, however, distanced himself from the sack of the Adamawa North Senator, Elisha Abbo, by the Court of Appeal.

The senate president accused Abbo of looking for a scapegoat.

He disclosed this while speaking through his Media Aide, Eseme Eyiboh.

Addressing newsmen, Eyiboh said, “It is unfortunate if he actually said that Akpabio was responsible for his removal. That’s the swan song of a man looking for scapegoats.

“The Court of Appeal across the country decides cases based on the provisions of the Electoral Act and evidence advanced by petitioners. The Senate President has no reason to witch-hunt any of his colleagues.”