INEC, Akwa Ibom APC in fresh war of words over conduct of 2019 polls

The Akwa Ibom State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have both resumed fresh round of accusations and counter accusations over the conduct of the last general elections in the state.

Ahead of the tribunal which is expected to be inaugurated this Friday, the APC has for the umpteenth time accused INEC of tampering with electoral materials and also accused the Administrative Secretary of INEC, Anthony Patta of being the originator of the text message which ordered staff to report for duty on Sunday for the purpose of ‘’cleaning up” the materials.

The claims were made in a statement by Eyongekere Nkereuwem, the party’s spokesman who said; “In the months leading to the elections, many notable Akwa Ibom people including APC itself had written to INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmud Yakubu, requesting the redeployment of Mike Igini, the REC in the state allegedly because he is a deeply compromised electoral officer. The letter cited several cases of Igini’s actions and statements which gave him away as being sympathetic and partial to Governor Udom Emmanuel and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. However, the request was not granted.

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‘’The bias of Igini in favour of the PDP, was evident through his conduct of the election as evidenced in the collusion and connivance of INEC staff and ad hoc staff with the PDP. ‘’Why is INEC being asked to work on elections materials weeks after the results were declared and days after a petition against the results have been filed?”

The claims were however waved aside by INEC in a statement saying the comments by the APC were baseless and a cheap campaign of calumny, aimed at casting aspersion on the person of the Administrative Secretary, who has never been found wanting in the discharge of his duty.

The statement by INEC read; “The allegations are baseless and outright falsehood from the pit of hell. The objective of these lies and their sponsors is to dent the image of the commission and cast aspersion on my person and office as the Administrative Secretary, by their cheap campaign of calumny.

‘’It will be recalled that the same lies were concocted when the commission’s vehicle carrying out a nationally authorized reverse logistics duty was involved in an accident on Oku-Abak Highway. These lie spinners had alleged in a paid advert that they ‘’interviewed,” INEC drivers involved in the said accident who were critically ill and unconscious in the hospital, who never spoke to anyone and the said drivers ‘’confessed ‘’to tampering with ballot papers of a particular party in the state. These were also a pack of lies.

“I wish to state unequivocally again that these allegations are false and should be disregarded as the materials of the commission have never been tampered with and are open for inspection if and when authorized by a competent authority.”

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