Akpabio Withdraws Case Challenging Election Defeat

Former Senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, has withdrawn a case he filed in court challenging his Senate reelection loss.

Mr Akpabio’s lawyer, Sunday Ameh, announced the withdrawal in court in Abuja on Friday. He did not give reasons for his decision.

Mr Akpabio filed the case despite Nigeria’s legal provision that Senatorial election disputes should be decided in the first instance by an election tribunal. Lawyers say conventional courts lack jurisdiction to hear such cases.

Regardless, the judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court granted Mr Akpabio’s request to restrain parties involved in the case.