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ELECTIONS: CLO questions INEC silence on result of Akwa Ibom assembly seat

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Election uncertain in Akwa Ibom as fire guts INEC office hours to polls

The Independent National Electoral Commissionm (INEC) has been urged to declare the result of the governorship/house of Assembly election conducted on March 9, 2019, in Essien Udim Local Council of Akwa Ibom State.

Making the call in the state capital of Uyo, the Civil Liberties Organisations (CLO) through its state chairman, Franklyn Isong, at a press conference on Monday, argued that the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mr. Mike Igini, has not explained his inability to issue a certificate of Return to any of the candidates who contested the election in Essien Udim state constituency.

Isong said it is necessary to declare the results now so that both the candidates and the constituents will know their fate as the people of Essien Udim were still in the dark to ascertain their representatives.

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The statement issued by the CLO at the press conference partly read: “The CLO demands that the REC, Mr. Mike Igini make a declaration on the result and the return of the election into the Essien Udim State constituency on 9th March 2019, by the commission.

“It is imperative that at the end of the election both the candidates and the members of the state constituency should know their fate as to who won and who is their representative; respectively.

“As it stands, the candidates, the citizens of the state constituency, the people of Akwa Ibom and the political parties who sponsored candidates in the election are in the quandary, not knowing the outcome of the election and what legal action to take in redress.

“The development is sad and unfortunate as it ought not to be in a democratic setting like ours where the provisions of the law are explicit on the functions of INEC and other institutions in the electoral system.”

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