Akpabio Vs Ekpenyong: PDP, INEC Fumble … As Akpabio’s Presence Set Court On Fire
By UbongAbasi Ise
The national assembly tribunal sitting
in Uyo over the post-election matter brought before it by Senator Godswill
Akpabio, challenging the declaration of Engr. Chris Ekpenyong as the winner of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial election, on
Monday commenced formal hearing with the
patience of the tribunal passing through some real tests.
Confusion set in when Solomon Umoh, SAN, counsel to the 2nd
respondent (Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP), while tendering certified true
copies of documents from the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, claimed to have been submitted the total
of 61 copies, while 51 was confirmed
after counted.
The documents include one copy
of EC 40 G (1) which goes with five copies of analysis, a receipt for payment
of N1,680, and 44 reports by INEC
officials of what happened in Essien Udim local government area, with all the
documents totaling 51.
The Petitioner’s counsel, S.I.
Ameh, objected to the admissibility of such documents, and decided to give reasons
at final address.
Another drama came when INEC
counsel, Barr. Robert Emukpoeruo, caused a stir as he claimed Exhibit R352,
which is said to contain the reports of cancellation of results of units 11 and
13 of Afaha ward in Essien Udim local government area, was shown to a witness,
Mr. Ndifreke idung, only for the witness to discover it was a document
consisting of the listing of wards in Essien Udim local government area.
“My Lord, what I see here is the
listing of the wards,” Idung said.
Mr. Ndifreke Idung, from Afaha Ikot Ebak community in Essien Udim, was
serving as the Ward agent for the All Progressives Congress, APC, at Afaha Ward
during February 23 senatorial election.
Idung, in his testimony, said no
result of any polling unit in his ward was nullified, contradicting INEC’s
claims that polling units 11 and 13 election results were cancelled.
He said all the results that came
to ward collation centre were duly signed by the party polling unit agents.
According to Idung, he signed
the ward result in which the PDP polled the total votes of 2,339, while the APC
scored the total of 4,645 votes.
Another witness, Mr. Patrick
Usen, from Ikot Ata Enin, who was APC agent for Adiasim ward, also told the tribunal on Monday that there
was no cancellation of results in the seven polling units of the ward despite
INEC’s claim that results were cancelled based on inconsistency discovered
between the total number of votes cast and total number of the accredited
voters.
Meanwhile, the first petioner,
Senator Godswill Akpabio, was present in the court, and he was received amidst
cheers by his teeming supporters, mostly from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial districts.
He was seen exchanging
pleasantries with respondents’ counsels and his legal team.
At the close of the plenary, Wellington Bassey Way’s axis in Uyo was overtaken by vehicular gridlock as mammoth crowd poured the roadsides to greet former Governor Godswill Akpabio.
©The Sensor Newspaper
INEC claim that the results were cancelled based on inconsistency discovered between total number of votes cast and total number of accredited voters...
ReplyDeleteI seriously laugh at my Countrymen in INEC. The same INEC during presidential and Governorship' s state collation will ask the returning officers to go and reconcile numbers whenever total number of votes cast are either greater than or less than the total number of accredited voters. Some as much as 5,000 to 6,000 difference like in Ikono, Ibesikpo Asutan, Ibiono etc because it was in favour of their pay master.
I weep for us...