Tribunal Records First Essien Udim Man To Testify Against Akpabio …As INEC Ad Hoc Staff Accounts How Hunger Forces Corps Members To Rig

By UbongAbasi Ise

Amongst all the 21 witnesses called so far by the first and second respondents in defense of a petition filed by Senator Godswill  Akpabio challenging the declaration of Senator Chris Ekpenyong as winner of

February 23 senatorial election in Akwa Ibom Northwest district, Mr. Brendan Etokidem today became the first Essien Udim indigene to enter the witness box to testify against his kinsman, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

While the former senate minority leader hails from Ukana in Essien Udim local government area, Mr. Etokidem is an indigene of Ikot Ebok village who was serving as ward collation agent for the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in Odoro Ikot II Ward in Essien Udim local government area on the election day. He claimed there was no election in his ward as thugs invaded the Registration Area Centre, RAC, to cart away all the elections materials and abducted ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The witness said Odoro Ikot II Ward result in which the All Progressives Congress, APC, scored 7,991 votes with PDP recording no vote was false because there was no accreditation and voting processes. But when the petitioner’s counsel, S.I. Ameh, SAN, showed the witness the certified true copies of INEC’s stamped documents bearing the results of accreditation and number of votes cast, while asking him to ascertain who is telling the truth between himself and INEC, Brendan Etokidem claimed he was the one telling the truth and not the INEC’s document.

Meanwhile, it has been rumoured that some persons asked by the respondents in Essien Udim to appear as witnesses before the tribunal have so far declined, saying they could not testify against Senator Godswill Akpabio who has touched many lives in the Senatorial District and the entire Akwa Ibom State.

Another witness, Mr. Ugo Victor, who testified today, said as a serving corps member then, before passing out in June 2019, he was assigned as presiding officer at polling unit 006 in Ukana West II Ward in Essien Udim local government area. He claimed that thugs invaded RAC and abducted him along with other election officials while also carting away elections materials to unknown place where they were forced to thumbprint and made to enter results in INEC Form EC8As in favour of APC.

Victor said after he and his colleagues could no longer contend with hunger, he had to beg his captors for food, only for them to provide him and the rest with bread and coca cola drink, while asking them to continue with the work and that they would be provided with what to eat later.

Following Ugo Victor's claims of no accreditation, S.I Ameh showed him the data of voters register (Exhibit R166) of polling unit 006 certified by INEC where 435 voters were accredited. Smart Card Reader's report (R253A) of the unit was also shown to the witness which has 57 figures as the number of voters accredited with the card reader.

However, Victor did not produce any document before the tribunal to show that he reported the incident to the INEC neither did he prove his identification as corps member engaged by the commission during the elections.

©The Sensor Newspaper

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