The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom state has condemned the conduct and rejected the outcome of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections in the area.
Describing the exercise as a charade, the party at press conference in Esit Eket, Monday, called for its cancellation.
The party leaders alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) compromised with the mandate of the electorate by colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the polls.
Leader of the party in Esit Eket, Bassey Dan Abia, stated that “after a thorough review of the results and having found out that the results do not represent the wishes of Esit Eket people”, they have rejected the result and call for cancellation of the election.
Abia, a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), cited instances of thuggery and whisking away of electoral materials in units in Wards 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 and others.
He said the anomalies took place under the watch of police officers assigned to respective units.
Further, he alleged that PDP connived with INEC ad hoc staff whom he said are PDP members to cart away materials hence disenfranchising the electorate.
Abia said if the election was not cancelled, the APC will challenge the result in court, and called on members of the party to remain law abiding.
Also speaking, Mr Eseme Eyiboh said the result was “a concoction, fabrication and complete distortion of the electoral process.”
Eyiboh said his party possesses evidence that the electoral umpires in the area as “card carrying members of the PDP connived to mutilate the result against APC.”
“As the election was ongoing, PDP members had already announced the result on social media, meaning the result was prearranged”, he decried.
Eyiboh, a former member of the House of Representatives, reaffirmed that the party will explore all avenues permitted by law to ensure that the result is reversed.
On his part, APC chapter chairman, Mr. Augustine Amos Nkuseying, said the election materials were hijacked, thumb-printed and collated at a particular location in the presence of PDP chieftains including the House of Assembly member, Mr. Usoro Akpanusoh.
He also called for the cancellation of the result.
