A’Ibom APC Petitions Mike Igini Over Open Support For PDP
By UbongAbasi Ise
The national headquarters of
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Abuja, has received a
petition from Akwa Ibom State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, which
alleges that Mr. Mike Igini, the INEC’s
Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC,
in Akwa Ibom State, has developed a soft spot for the Peoples’ Democratic
Party, PDP, in the state.
In a letter addressed to INEC and
co-signed by the APC State Chairman, Mr. Ini Okopido and the party’s state
secretary, Mr. Augustine Ekanem, the petition has it that Mr. Igini is working
hand-in-glove with Mr Udom Emmanuel, to rig, manipulate and influence the
forthcoming elections in favour of the governor and his Party, the PDP.
“With a deep sense of
responsibility, we write to apprise you of the unbridled and undisguised
partisanship, bias and partiality of Mr. Mike Igini, the Resident Electoral
Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State. We have established that in total violation of
his Oath of Office and Code of Conduct for senior electoral officials, Mr.
Igini is working hand-in-glove with the State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, to
rig, manipulate and influence the forthcoming elections in favour of the
governor and his Party, the PDP.
“The PDP cannot even hide their
peculiarly cosy but sinister affair with the REC. On Monday, 4th February,
2019, some leaders of the PDP took up a newspaper page to warn the INEC
chairman against the redeployment of the REC. (Please see page 39 of Vanguard
newspaper of Monday, 4th February 2019). It is so strange, curious and
suspicious for a political party to make such a show of its preference for one
particular electoral officer. The advertorial states that Igini ‘is widely
acknowledged as a man of integrity, honesty and is dedicated to conducting a
free, transparent and credible election in the state’. Is the PDP telling the
whole country that Igini is the only REC out of 36 with these qualities and
capabilities? So the elections in the other 35 states and the FCT will not be
credible and transparent? What pact has the PDP entered into with Mr. Igini
that could be so strong and binding that the party could throw caution aside
and declare that only Igini should conduct the election in the state? Does the
PDP have the right to pick and choose a particular electoral officer for
INEC?,” the party queried.
The APC maintained that Mr. Igini
has been conducting himself in a very disgraceful manner that betrays his bias
and preference for the PDP and Gov. Udom Emmanuel. According the to party, in a
recent telephone conversation with Ini Okopido, APC State Chairman, “Mr. Igini
threatened that the APC will never win the governorship election in Akwa Ibom
State, no matter how big and massive our total tally is. He told me that he
would ensure that the PDP would be declared winner of the election, no matter
what happens.
“Just two weeks ago or so, Mr.
Igini, in company of Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak (former REC in Rivers State, and now
Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Election Board), Senator Helen Esuene (PDP
chieftain) and Mr. David Lawrence (PDP member of the House of Assembly
representing Eket State Constituency) met at the residence of Senator Esuene in
Eket, and perfected plans for the rigging of the forthcoming elections in
favour of the PDP and Gov. Udom Emmanuel. We should emphasize here that it is
Mr. Ikoiwak, the former REC in Rivers State, who is the point man used by Gov.
Udom Emmanuel and the PDP chieftains to reach Mr. Igini and other officials of
INEC.
“We have evidence to show that
the REC, Mr Mike Igini, has handed over the uncollected Permanent Voters Cards
(PVCs) to the officials of Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo. These
uncollected PVCs are in thousands. We do know that it is not the role of the
state government or its officials to keep custody of these uncollected PVCs.
“Mr. Igini has been carrying out
selective punitive measures against some electoral officers (EOs) whom he
perceives to be resisting his partisanship and biased conducts. For instance,
he recently removed the electoral officer (EO) of Ikot Abasi LGA from office
while other EOs has been thrown out of office for their uprightness,
professionalism and decision to stand against Mr. Igini’s ulterior motives.
Other EOs whom Mr. Igini has arbitrarily removed from office for resisting his
bias, partisanship and favouritism to the PDP are: Mr. Anderson GogoWaribo; Mr.
Ogwo-UdeHappiness and Mr. Kingsley Arukwe. In the last one week, he has removed
six EOs from office for daring to resist his partisan conduct.”
©The Sensor Newspaper
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