Court sacks Senator Akpan, orders refund of salaries

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sacked Senator Bassey Akpan as the Senator representing Uyo Senatorial district in the Senate for defecting to the Young Progressives Party, YPP.

The presiding Judge, Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu, in his ruling on Friday, declared Senator Akpan’s seat vacant and ordered INEC to conduct a bye election to fill the vacant office.

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The Judge further ruled that the Senator should refund to the National Assembly all the monies and entitlements received after July 2022, being the time he defected from PDP to YPP without any problem in the previous party.

In a suit no, FHC/ABJ/CS/1249/2022, Justice Aminu ruled that Senator Akpan, who was sponsored to the office of a Senator by the PDP, is no longer qualified to retain his seat in the Senate having resigned his membership of the PDP before the expiration of the period for which he was elected to represent the people of Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.

Justice Aminu said, “in accordance with section 65(2)[B] of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, I hereby declare Senator Akpan’s seat vacant.”