Nyaetok Snubs Election Tribunal, Reveals 2023 Plans …As ANRP Candidate Promises Udom, Ekere Hell At ICC

By UbongAbasi Ise

Despite condemning massive vote-buying and widespread brutality that characterized March 9 polls in Akwa Ibom State, the gubernatorial candidate of Young Democratic Party, YDP, Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok, says he will not approach election tribunal for redress after sapping his energy on the just concluded electioneering campaigns, but expressed willingness to extend his hand of friendship to whoever that would be recognized as the state governor following tribunal’s decision.

Arc. Nyaetok, who jointly addressed a world press conference recently in Uyo with the gubernatorial candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Mr. Iboro Otu, said it was his personal decision not to belabour himself with post-election squabbles but to owe his allegiance to anyone sworn in as the governor of the state.

He further stated his willingness to wage anti-vote-commercialization war that would go beyond the state and the nation to the international arena so that the malaise of vote-buying will not see the light of the day in 2023.

While speaking on the just concluded gubernatorial election, Nyaetok stressed that the political process in the state has become militarized and monetized, noting that vote-buying was such a terrible ill that should be arrested immediately, describing it as an utter suppression of the will of the people and a complete hijack of the free exercise of franchise and mandate.

On his part, Mr. Iboro Otu, the ANPR candidate, promised to drag his co-contestants from the two major contending political parties to the International Criminal Court, ICC.

Mr. Otu decried the electoral malpractice of vote-buying that characterized March 9 polls, noting that the act is recognized under the political repression by the international community which is a crime against humanity. In that regards, he promised to approach the ICC for redress, while also rejecting the result of the Akwa Ibom governorship election, saying he will challenge it at the Election Petitions Tribunal.

As it would be recalled, Mr. Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, was declared winner of the governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with 519,712 votes while Obong Nsima Ekere of the All Progressives Congress,APC, followed with 171,978 votes.

The candidates of ANRP had opened up on situations of vote-buying, violence and several irregularities that marred the March 9 electoral exercise across all the local government areas in the state, maintaining that the elections were not free and fair.

According to him in an address, “it is evident from reports from our agents, supporters, our party members and even members of other parties that the just concluded gubernatorial election (in Akwa Ibom State) was far from free and fair. From the data collated so far, it is evident to us that widespread vote-buying and voter intimidation occurred across 75% of our polling units. The two major political parties employed several schemes to extort votes from helpless electorates either by offering instant financial rewards for votes at the polling units or by taking voters to undisclosed locations to pay for their votes and voter’s cards; the price ranging from N1,000 to N10, 000, depending on ward and location government. These political parties permeated not only the electorates but also some electoral staff to play ball and look the other way while these despicable actions took place. Some of the parties paid in dollars while others paid in Naira. It is widely known that the PDP, for example, paid N1.1 million in every polling unit. We have videos and photographic evidence to this effect and hundreds of individuals to testify and corroborate this.”

©The Sensor Newspaper

Go Home for more news

>A’Ibom Guber Race: Candidates Rejects Zoning … Press For Reforms
>Tribunal: Igini, PDP Destroying Election Materials – APC Cries To AGF … Demands Immediate Relocation of Tribunal To FCT
>Campaign Funds Misappropriation: APC Blasts PDP Over Malicious Information …Says No leader was Reported To EFCC
>UBONGABASI ISE FEATURE: Sold Conscience