Akwa Ibom Rerun: I Was Forced To Change Etim Ekpo Local Council Election Results – INEC Presiding Officer Cries Out
The supplementary election which took space at Abak and Etim Ekpo Federal Constituency used to be reportedly marred with rigging and intimidation of INEC officials.
A Presiding Officer of the Independent Nationwide Electoral Commission (INEC), Ajani Isaac Oluwaseyi, in the Etim Ekpo Local Authorities House of Akwa Ibom Notify has narrated how he used to be compelled to commerce the supplementary election results below duress in favour of the ruling Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) in the teach.
The supplementary election which took space at Abak and Etim Ekpo Federal Constituency used to be reportedly marred with rigging and intimidation of INEC officials.
SaharaReporters gathered that 247 voters were permitted by Bimodal Voter Accreditation Machine at Village Hall, Ntak Inyang, Etim Ekpo Ward 4 nevertheless used to be fraudulently changed to 836.
The Presiding Officer said in a letter purchased by SaharaReporters that they were forcibly diverted whereas on their system to the INEC space of enterprise and compelled to commerce the results in favour of the candidate of Peoples Democratic Social gathering.
In line with the letter “The election used to be conducted and at the shut of the election. We were conveyed to the INEC space of enterprise nevertheless diverted to one other space reasonably than INEC space of enterprise the put we were compelled to manipulate the results below duress.
“The BVAS reads 247 in opposition to the 836 that they claimed. Right here is my submission.”
Within the interim the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Clement Jimbo, has known as for the cancellation of the results and described as charade which would no longer stand the take a look at of time.
Jimbo used to be said to be leading with a margin of 2862 votes before the behavior of the supplementary election.
It’d be recalled that Jimbo had no longer too prolonged prior to now raised the dread of space by the ruling birthday celebration to manipulate the Abak/Etim Ekpo/ Ika Supplementary election.
He said the conspiracy agenda used to be geared in opposition to Inflating figures and votes as one procedure to suppress, surpass and undermine the present broad margin of 2,962 in favour of the APC and presents the PDP the leeway to grab the election.
The statement read in fraction “Abak/ Etim Ekpo/ Ika Federal Constituency has a total of 386 Polling Units, 31 Registration Areas (Wards) and 3 Local Authorities Areas (Abak, Etim Ekpo and Ika). A listing published on the Commission’s online page indicates that the Commission is planning to help supplementary election for the federal constituency in 25 polling units.
“We’re minded to alert the public of ongoing devious efforts by compromised functions inside of the Commission, appearing in collaboration with some notorious leaders and appealing persons inside of the Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) in Akwa Ibom Notify, to have interaction in uncertain, noxious and unlawful efforts and actions which could be geared in opposition to manipulating the upcoming supplementary election in our federal constituency, with the singular agenda of concocting inflated, false and fictional figures and votes as one procedure to suppress, surpass and undermine the present broad margin of 2,962 in favour of the APC and presents the PDP the leeway to grab the election.
“As fraction of this false scheme, a notion has been hatched by some officials of the Commission, appearing in reside performance with their sponsors in the PDP, to illegally amplify the selection of polling units the put supplementary election is to help in the federal constituency.
“This false scheme has now been substantiated by a worrisome newsletter on the Commission’s online page to the enact that the April 15, 2023 supplementary election for Abak/ Etim Ekpo/ Ika Federal Constituency will doubtless be held in 25 polling units.
“We now own undertaken a rigorous verification and investigation of the listed 25 polling units as published by the Commission. We came all the procedure thru to our chagrin, that the Commission has no longer provided cogent and verifiable reasons, on the muse for keeping apart the said 25 polling units for supplementary election.”
Clement also alleged that there had been several excessive diploma meetings held by appealing persons inside of the PDP to strategise on tips on how to militarise the supplementary election with heavy deployment of political thugs and counterfeit policemen and counterfeit soldiers.
