UbongAbasi Ise

Go Home for more news By UbongAbasi Ise All was not well in Saturday’s rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections in Oruk Anam local government area as pockets of irregularities marred electoral processes, with Sir Udo Kierian Akpan, member representing Oruk Anam State Constituency in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly alleged to have sponsored the snatching of ballot boxes at polling unit 009, located at Cooperative Hall, Ediene Ikot Inyang, Ward 10. Voters were dazed as thugs suspected to have been hired by the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, invaded the polling unit, harassed the electorates and carted away ballot boxes some moments to the conclusion of the voting process. Mr. Patrick Nkantion, the polling agent who was representing All Progressives Congress, APC, at the unit, told our correspondent that the electoral materials were moved along with the INEC ad hoc staff to the ward center at Ikot Esenam, the hometown of the State House of Assembly lawmaker...

By UbongAbasi Ise The duo of Mr. Moses Ekpo, the incumbent deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State,   and Mr. Aniekan Umanah, the Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency PDP candidate, have lost their polling unit, Abak Urban Ward 3, to the APC candidates in the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections. In the Presidential election, the APC polled 321 while the PDP trailed with 50 votes at the polling unit. APC’s Senator Godswill Akpabio was able to garner 390 votes to beat his PDP rival, Dr. Chris Ekpenyong, who was left with 20 votes. In the Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency election, Mr. Emmanuel Ekon of the APC got 290 votes to beat the former state commissioner for information, Mr. Aniekan Umana at his polling unit. Meanwhile, at Senator Godswill Akpabio’s ward, Ukana West II, Unit 9, in Essien Udim local government area, the APC polled 1553 against PDP’s 11 in the Presidential election, while in the Senatorial election, APC triumphed with 1...

By UbongAbasi Ise Senator Godswill Akpabio’s polling unit, Ukana West II (unit 9) in Essien Udim local government area has received all the election materials and the accreditation is underway, The presiding polling officer, the PDP and APC agents at the polling unit have all confirmed that no material has been diverted. Also the ward of Mr. Raphael Isogbara, the executive Chairman of Essien Udim local government area, Ekpenyong Atai II, has no report of diversion of election materials. Accreditation is on-going at Model Migrant Secondary School. Meanwhile in a statement released by the Administrative Secretary for Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Officer, A. B. Patta, INEC says none of the sensitive election materials meant for a local government in Akwa Ibom State has been diverted as claimed by the Chairman of Peoples Progressive Party, PPP, in the state. “The general public in Akwa Ibom State is by this notice advised to disregard the false alarm raised by the ch...

Dear Nigerians, 1.Finally, we have reached the eve of the rescheduled first round of this year’s general elections. 2.     Tomorrow, the polls open. Tomorrow, we affirm that Nigeria stands as a democracy and that no worldly hand can deter us from this wise and fitting path we have chosen for ourselves. 3.     While democracy is the most beneficial way to select a nation’s leaders, it is far from the easiest thing to achieve and maintain. 4.     It requires a combination of patience, tolerance, compassion, diligence, wisdom and hope. These traits exist in us the Nigerian people. Because of who we are, democracy has the chance to flourish in this land. 5.     Thus, I commend all of you for your patience and peaceful conduct so far during this electoral season and especially during this intervening week following the postponement of the February 16 elections. 6.     Many were ...

Tension is mounting in different parts of Akwa Ibom State particularly Akwa Ibom Northwest as Saturday, February, 23 the new date fixed for the presidential and National Assembly elections draws closer. The tension is against the background of fears of the pre-election attacks on INEC offices and buses that occured in two local government areas last Friday, the eve of the cancelled polls. Two persons were killed and 13 buses hired by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC burnt in Obot Akara local government area by hoodlums suspected to be hired political thugs, while the police claimed that its team on patrol had put out a fire at the INEC office in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area when a petrol bomb was thrown into the office by suspected political thugs. There are even fears that the development may encourage voter apathy in the state during the Saturday poll. Meanwhile, stakeholders of the two major rival political parties in the state the People’...

OPENING REMARKS BY THE CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF LT GEN TY BURATAI NAM OMM (BR) GSS psc(+) ndc (BD) FCMH FNHAM BA (Hons) MA MPhil AT THE CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF MEETING WITH PRINCIPAL STAFF OFFICERS GENERAL OFFICERS COMMANDING AND DIRECTORS HELD AT ARMY HEADQUARTERS CONFERENCE ROOM ON 20 FEBRUARY 2019 Protocol  1. You are all welcome to this expanded weekly meeting which has in attendance, not only Principal Staff Officers and Directors, but also GOCs and selected field commanders. You will all recall that  just 2 weeks ago, we all met here for an Operations Conference that was held to strategize on the NA’s roles during the 2019 General Elections, which was earlier planned to commence from 16 Feb 19. Unfortunately, the election did not hold as planned and has been postponed to hold on 23 Feb 19 and 9 Mar 19. This shift in date has necessitated a need to review some of the decisions taken at the last conference and also to reiterate some of the directives Passed to you...

By UbongAbasi Ise Calls for the redeployment of Mr. Mike Igini, the Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Officer, REC, has recently increased in intensity as various stakeholders in the state continue to raise disturbing allegation of partisanship against the REC ahead of the general elections.   Monday, over 2,000 Akwa Ibom youth were staging a peaceful protest at the State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Uyo, alleging that Mr. Mike Igini is working for the interest of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP. Mr. Stephen Ntokekpo, who spoke on behalf of the protesting youths accused Mr. Igini of collecting 1million dollars from the PDP in exchange of the Permanent Voter's Cards, PVCs, to aid the party gain an edge over other political parties in the forthcoming elections. Ntokekpo further said that the peaceful demonstration was to send alert to INEC that Akwa Ibom people have rejected Igini in totality, urging the commission to send him out ...

By UbongAbasi Ise At the end of it all, Saturday 16 th February 2019 turned out to be quite calm and peaceful. I had met with Barr. Clifford Thomas, the Akwa Ibom State Human Rights Community Coordinator, and we drove all afternoon, with visits here and there. From the urbanized areas of Uyo, the capital city, to the countryside of Nsit Ibom, Etinan and some other places, tranquility subsists beyond the warm harmattan afternoon. It was quite uncharacteristic of any Saturday in this part of the world: there were no wedding and burial ceremonies; markets were either shut or half-closed; business activities in general were quite low key, no thanks to the brusque postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the dawn of that day by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Barr. Clifford Thomas had expressed disappointment in INEC for putting off the elections it had almost four years to prepare for. He berated the commission for wasting tax payers’ ...

By UbongAbasi Ise Ikono Clan in Uyo local government area has decried many years of marginalization under successive government of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, and has decided to pitch its tent with the All Progressives Congress, APC , with the hope to have a new lease of life should the APC take over power in Akwa Ibom State. During the inauguration of the executive members of Ikono Wards 8 and 9 Political Forum in Uyo recently, Mr. Clement Ekott, who chaired the event, lamented how the two wards in Ikono clan have been sidelined in the affairs of Uyo local government area, declaring that it is time to reverse the trend by voting Obong Nsima Ekere and other APC candidates into power. “We have been greatly marginalized in this state and it is time we rise up in unity to bring in another government that will favour us and also create room for us to be part of instead of sidelining us all the time. “Ikono in Uyo has always been the deciding Wards in Uyo local governmen...

By UbongAbasi Ise Given the privatization of the Aluminium Smelting Company of Nigeria, ALSCON, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, represented by the vice chairman of the APC South-South, Ntufam Hilliard-Eta, has charged Ikot Abasi indigenes to vote out Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, at Saturday's polls. During the carnival-like APC gubernatorial campaign rally staged in Ikot Abasi yesterday, Comrade Oshiomole reminded the people of Ikot Abasi about the unceremonious privatization of ALSCON by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Atiku Abubarkar, which led to the failing of the company and massive loss of jobs in Ikot Abasi. The national chairman further recalled how the Federal Government invested $1.3 billion in the company but was later sold at paltry sum of $125 billion by Obasanjo/Atiku administration. He assured the people of the area that...

By UbongAbasi Ise Senator Godswill Akpabio is not a man that could be described in ambiguous terms, although, he can mean anything to any commentator. He is a man whose single word or deed, for whatever reason, would send tongues wagging or wowing. Plainly, the uncommon Senator is not only a phenomenon in the world of Akwa Ibom politics and Nigeria’s politicking, but a significant factor that reorders Akwa Ibom statecraft, and he has been a major force that influences development in the state. Here, yours truly may not be making any particular effort in canonizing him to saint or apotheosizing him to god, and won’t also consider demonizing him to some readers’ delight. All I could attempt is to state how his constituents feel about him in the face of varied-ranging perceptions of this much-talk-about Akwa Ibom politician.   Unarguably, Akpabio’s eight years in office as Governor of Akwa Ibom State had marked the watershed in Akwa Ibom history. And at the same time, most n...

By Emmanuel Ufon The People of Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency made a solemn declaration in one accord that they will not give their vote of blessings to any other candidate apart from APC candidates in the forth coming general election. The community leaders and defectors, who disclosed this on  Friday in Ukwok ward 9/10, during the the onging APC ward tour across Ikono and Ini local government area, said their political ideology is that of one direction for the development of their community. The event attracted eminent community leaders, Ini traditional rulers, Elders, Women, Youth and  Students,  APC Chieftains including the former member representing the Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Prof. Ini Udoka; the immediate past State House of Assembly Member in the area, Obong Paul Owo; the political Mentor of Ini, Dr. Godwin Udoudo; the APC former State House of Assembly Candidates for Ini State Constituency, Barr. James Ndem. Others who acco...