April 15, (THEWILL) – Due to widespread violence, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has cancelled the rerun National Assembly election in Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom, Dr Cyril Omorogbe, disclosed this to newsmen in his office in Uyo on Saturday, shortly after the election, describing the exercise in the area as abysmal.
Omorogbe said that the election was cancelled in all the 17 polling units where the rerun took place due to obvious electoral offences, ranging from snatching of electoral materials including Bi-Modal Voters Accreditation Machine System (BVAS).
“I just want to give a brief update on what has happened today in the rerun election.
“The fact is that we had about four Local Government Areas where we conducted elections and one major one was Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency.
“We were there this morning early enough and at about 8:30 am polling units were open. A couple of hours after we opened the polls, I received a call that BVAS machines were hijacked.
“So, I knew from then that we were in for a tough time. Two hours after that I received another report that was not good. So, the election in Ikono/Ini federal constituency has been cancelled.
“They were fighting all through the Local Government Area in the 17 polling units in the area. I received a report from the Collation Officers, who were supposed to collate the result in the area the election did not hold.
“The whole exercise of those 17 polling units were either hijacked or disrupted, people were being chased and other things of that nature.
“From the Collation Officers in the field who were supposed to collate, they all came back and have written reports and the result sheets they were supposed to fill are all here. Apparently, there was no election.
“In the other constituency of Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, I am still expecting to hear from them, but I believe at this point things went well. Perhaps, in the next couple of hours the result will be declared”, Omorogbe explained.
He expressed regret that the violence led to the shooting of one of the corps members on duty in his leg.
He wondered why politicians would be so desperate in a federal constituency election to the extent of shooting an innocent corps member.
“The corps member was shot, he is still in the hospital. We’ve done our best to provide money to ensure he is treated well. I strongly believe he will be okay.
“He was shot in the leg, he has gone through surgery. So far, I do believe he is recuperating”, he expressed.
The statement by INEC indicates that the YPP candidate, Hon. Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo, having scored the majority of votes cast in the previous election stands elected.
Briefing newsmen in Uyo, agent of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Barr Eteyen Archibong, said, “What took place today was a charade and nothing to write home about. In fact, voting did not hold in any of the polling units in Itak ”, he stated.
Archibong urged the electoral umpire to declare the candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Hon Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo, who scored the highest number of votes in the February 25 House of Representatives election, leading his closest rival, Glory Edet of PDP with over 4,000 votes.
