By Emmanuel Ayungbe

UYO—CONSTITUENTS of Akwa Ibom North-East senatorial district, have sent a letter of reminder to the Senate President,   Bukola  Saraki, demanding resolution of the disputed pre-election issues involving Senator Bassey Albert and Elder Bassey Etim.

The people of Akwa Ibom North East said they are at a loss and don’t know who is the senator representing the district,  since a Federal High Court had nullified the election of Senator Albert Akpan.

Senate President Bukola Saraki

Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party,  PDP, Akwa Ibom North-East  Elders Forum, AINEEF, Elder Idorenyin Jacot, told journalists, yesterday, that the forum had to write a reminder to the Senate President to consider swearing-in Bassey Etim, as the senator representing the district since the certificate of return earlier issued by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to Albert Akpan had been invalided by a Federal High Court.

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, the state capital, had in February,  this year nullified the 2015 senatorial election, in which the  INEC declared Albert, as the winner, holding that the decision violated some relevant sections of the Electoral Act.

The plaintiff, Etim, former member of the House of Representatives for Uyo federal constituency, had approached the court, seeking the nullification of the poll, arguing that “Albert did not contest the senatorial primaries in December 2014.

“He only contested for the governorship primaries, but when he lost the election to the incumbent Governor Udom Emmanuel, the PDP approached INEC, to substitute my name for Albert’s, which is against the Electoral Laws.”

Relying on the strength of this argument, Justice Fatun Riman of a Federal High Court, Uyo, in his ruling, declared Etim, as the authentic candidate and winner of the 2015 Senatorial poll for the Uyo Senatorial seat (Akwa Ibom North-East), and ordered Albert to vacate the seat for Etim, as well as refund all entitlements that accrued to him in the last two years to the coffers of National Assembly.”

Worried by the non- compliance with the order, constituents in the district through the Akwa Ibom Northeast Senatorial District Elders Forum, AINSDEF, are asking Senate President Bukola Saraki, to obey the order and swear in Etim as the rightful winner of the poll.