PANIC GRIPS OBA OVER YPP TICKET, CHANGES LEGAL TEAM AMIDST 48HRS ULTIMATUM

A Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State has given the Governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party, YPP in Akwa Ibom State, Senator Bassey Albert Akpan, and the State Chairman of the party, Pastor Nyenime Andy 48hours to file amended processes in a case instituted against them by a member of the party and Governorship aspirant, Barr. Alexander Asuquo.

Barr Alexander Asuquo had dragged Senator Bassey Albert to court to stop Albert from inheriting the Young Progressives Party ticket from the party chairman, Pastor Nyenime Andy.

The Court presided over by Justice A.A. Okeke on Tuesday summoned Bassey Albert popularly referred to as OBA and the Chairman of the party, Pastor Andy after asking them to be served with substituted service.

The duo of N. B. E. Wigwe and Uchegbu had earlier filed processes for YPP, Pastor Andy and Senator Albert however when the case came up before Justice Okeke on Tuesday, the YPP Governorship candidate announced a change of his defense counsel with Ime Nya Asanga alongside Jerry Akpan, who appealed to withdraw the earlier process filed on Sen Bassey Albert’s behalf.

The Court ordered YPP and the State Chairman to file their amended processes within 48 hours and asked the Plaintiff to respond within 24 hours of being served with the new process.

The Court had adjourned sitting to Tuesday, August 30, 2022, for hearing after ordering court summon to be served on Albert and Andy, while hearing notice was ordered to be served on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and YPP.

The lawyer is joining the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Pastor Nyenime Andy, Senator Bassey Albert and the Independent National Electoral Commission, as Defendants.

YPP had earlier submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the name of the state party Chairman, Nyenime Andy, as its Governorship Candidate.

The plaintiff is seeking judicial interpretation to questions bordering on whether the state chairman of the party can validly use his position as the chairman of the party to preserve and reserve the gubernatorial ticket of the party to Sen. Bassey Albert (3rd Defendant) who was already an aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, the aspirant, Mr Alexander Asuquo said, “besides challenging the legality of the chairman's action, he wants the court to determine if after filling and submitting a nomination form in PDP, Bassey Albert can be validly nominated by YPP in view of the provisions of Section 35 of the Electoral Act 2022.

“I'm not just a member but a gubernatorial aspirant under YPP who was received into the party by Dr. Andy himself.