Senatorial Seat: How my opponent held secret meeting with a judge, plotted to stop my swearing-in—Bassey Etim
Writes Federal High Court Chief Judge, NJC over the secret meeting, wants him stopped from sitting on the case
A former member of House of Representatives and Senator-elect for Akwa Ibom North East in the Senate, Hon Bassey Etim, on Monday wrote the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, alleging that his opponent, Senator Albert Akpan who was sacked from the senate last week on the order of a high court had held a secret meeting with a Federal high court judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba during which they plotted how his swearing-in would be scuttled.

Etim who did a separate petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) on the issue is urging the Chief Judge of the Federal high court to quickly intervene in his case before a dangerous scandal capable of destroying further the integrity of the judiciary hits him in the face.

It would be recalled that a federal high court sitting in Uyo had last week Monday nullified the emergence of Hon Bassey Albert Akpan as senator representing Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial Zone in the National Assembly and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Akpan and re-issue same to Hon Bassey Etim, being the true and bonafide candidate of the PDP who won the senatorial election in Akwa Ibom North East.

The trial judge, had among several declaratory and injunctive reliefs also ordered the sacked legislator, Alber Akpan to refund to the coffers of the National Assembly all the monies he had collected by way of salary and allowances since he took the seat as senator representing Akwa Ibom North East in the National Assembly.

As if he was expecting the loss at the high court, Senator Albert had filed a notice of appeal at the registry of the Calabar division of the Court of Appeal that same day the judgment was given against him to challenge the verdict.

The notice of appeal was accompanied with an application to stay execution of the Uyo court judgment which sacked him from office and restrained the National assembly from swearing in Bassey Etim pending hearing and determination of his appeal. .

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Senator Akpan also filed another application before the same Federal high court sitting in Uyo which sacked him with a request to stay execution of its judgment against him and stop the National Assembly from swearing in the judicially declared senator elect, Hon Bassey Etim.

Two days after , Senator Akpan mobilised his lawyers again to approach a Federal high court sitting in Abuja with an originating summon seeking among others a stay of execution of the judgment of the Uyo division of the Federal high court which removed him from office and another order restraining the National assembly from swearing in his opponent, Hon Bassey Etim in his place.
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