2015 Guber: The case against Udom

 * Why UOU, Helen Esuene, Bishop want election cancelled * We won on merit - PDP 

BY  KENNETH  JUDE

There is no let up to the ongoing rejection of the April  11 election that produced Mr. Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the governorship polls in Akwa Ibom state. The relentless push by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and Accord Party (AP) to have the election cancelled has intensified in recent weeks. The APC which came second has remained resolute in calling for the cancellation of the election and are demanding that a fresh poll is conducted. 

The governorship candidate of the party, Obong Umana Okon Umana who has been rumoured in recent weeks to have been pencilled down for a ministerial appointment in Buhari’s government is said to be in high spirit as he believes that he will triumph at the tribunal. Just last week, a group of chairman purported to be members of APC had congratulated Udom Emmanuel on his victory and pledged their loyalty to his administration. 

But while controversy raged as regards what APC described as a handiwork of mischief makers and political touts, the party came out to debunk the reports that they have congratulated Udom Emmanuel adding that it maintains its position that election did not hold in Akwa Ibom state. The Akwa Ibom state chapter chairman of the APC Dr. Amadu Attai noted that the APC cannot congratulate Udom, explaining that the rejection of the April 11 gubernatorial election by the APC stands unchanged  even as he expressed optimism that the APC will have the last laugh after the election must have been nullified and a fresh one conducted.

In seeking cancellation of the election, the APC maintains that there was no election in the state hence, the party insist, no winner can emerge from a flawed process. Speaking recently with newsmen, Obong Umana Okon Umana said that what happened in Akwa Ibom was an organised state terrorism against the people. “There was no election in Akwa Ibom state. What transpired on April 11 was a state organised terrorism against the people where ballot boxes were snatched with impunity, voting materials carted away and in few places where the materials were taken to, result sheets were no way to be found. We are heading to the tribunal not to demand that APC should be declared the winner of the election but to ask for the outright cancellation of the polls and a new one held because there was none in the first instance.’’  The APC have filed a case at the tribunal challenging the declaration of Udom Emmanuel as the winner of the governorship election held on April 11, 2015. 

The party maintains that the election was characterised by gross irregularities ranging from non supply of election materials to voting units, brazen snatching of ballot boxes, wanton shootings by thugs alleged to be PDP agents to scare voters, complicity by INEC and security agents.
Hence, with all these anomalies, the party is hoping to win the case and have their wishes for the conduct of a fresh poll come to pass where they say that they will accept the outcome of the re-run so long as it is free and fair.

 Meanwhile, the candidate of the Labour Party in the April 11 guber polls, Senator Helen Esuene has also called for the cancellation of the elections. Her arguments rest on the fact that there was no level playing field for all candidates to participate in the elections. The Senator who is representing Eket Senatorial District in the Red Chambers explained that the election was a show of financial strength where voters were induced to vote for a particular candidate. The Labour Party has also said that voters were intimidated hence some people had to take to their heels for safety as voting units literally turned into war zones. The party has already filed a case at the tribunal where it is seeking for the cancellation of the April 11 polls.

In the same vein, the Accord Party which fielded Bishop Samuel Akpan as its governorship candidate have also rejected the result of the said election. The party has joined others to call for the cancellation of the election, insisting that there was no election in the first place to warrant the emergence of a winner. Bishop Samuel Akpan maintains that he was rigged out of the election, adding that the process should not be allowed to stand as it negates the tenets of democracy. The former president of Akwa Ibom Peoples Forum (AKPF) has filed a case at the tribunal where he is praying the court to cancel the election and conduct a fresh poll where a level playing field will be given to all candidates. 

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom state insists it won the election under a clean atmosphere. The party has lashed out at those calling for the cancellation of the election, noting that the election took place and Mr. Udom Emmanuel won overwhelmingly.  Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, in an interview recently, boasted that even if elections are conducted five times in the state, PDP will still win. This point was corroborated by Governor Akpabio during the last workers’ Day celebration where he said that PDP will still win in Akwa Ibom even if election is to be conducted ten times. 

Chieftains of the party are of the view that losers of the election should rather congratulate the winner, Udom Emmanuel than head to tribunal challenging his well deserved victory.  They maintain that Udom’s victory at the polls was the collective decision of the people of the state hence no one can change what God and man has ordained.  Speaking at the 2015 Workers’ Day celebration, Gov Akpabio explained further that with Uyo and Ikot Ekpene having taken their turn, it is only right that the next governor emerge from Eket Senatorial District where Udom Emmanuel hails from. The governor advised the APC and others not to waste their money at the tribunal but should instead join hands with Udom Emmanuel to build a virile state where industrialization shall be the focal point.

The PDP is also waxing in confidence, boasting that it will still win resoundingly at the tribunal even if the parties go ahead with their intentions.