BY KENNETH JUDE
The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Senator Godswill Akpabio for several offences including violation the electoral act.
The party says the former governor who announced himself winner of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial election held last Saturday contravened Section 27(2)(e) of the Electoral Act which provides that the Returning officer shall announce the result and declare the winner at the Senatorial Collation centre
In a press statement in Uyo on Monday, Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the former governor had held a party in his Ukana residence on Sunday where he reportedly declared himself winner of the Senatorial poll in violation of known laws.
The statement which reads in part says: “we call on the Inspector General of police to immediately arrest Senator Godswill Akpabio for conduct likely to breach public peace and violation of section 27(2)(e) of the electoral act. He should be prosecuted immediately so that upon conviction,the provision of Section 123(4) of the electoral act will be activated.
The party also alleged that Senator Akpabio has been making frantic efforts to upturn the results of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district which, from the nine local government areas released so far, shows that the former governor is trailing the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chris Ekpenyong, by over 50, 000 votes.
According to the PDP spokesman, “the truth is that collation of results have been done in 9 out of 10 local government areas areas in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and three out of four of the House of Representatives seats declared by INEC as having been won by the PDP with a wide margin of more that 60,000 votes. The only LGA left is Essien Idim, which INEC is currently working on.”
The former Senate Minority Leader has also been accused of trying to bribe PDP collation agents and other electoral officers with huge financial inducement, including use of force in order for them to do his bidding. This, the party said, has failed as the gratification has been rejected.
“In the last 24hours, Sen. Akpabio has tried different tricks ranging from calling the PDP collation agents and promising them huge financial inducement, offering bribes to Electoral officers, abduction and detention of electoral officials, use of military intervention and many other conceivable means of defeating the will of the people expressed freely cast through the ballot.”
The party has also disclosed plans by persons allegedly sponsored by Senator Akpabio to burn down INEC offices in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district and its headquarters in Uyo over what the party said is designed to frustrate the announcement of collated results from his local government area of Essien Udim.
“We are in receipt of impeccable intelligence indicating a plan to attack and burn INEC offices in ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and the headquarters in Uyo . This plan we learnt is hatched and sponsored by the out-going senator for ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Sen. Godswil Akpabio who is hell bent on frustrating the announcement of the collated result of Essien Udim local government area and the final result of the Senatorial District.”
The PDP further alleged that Akpabio had on election day in company of police and military men stormed INEC offices in the federal constituencies of his Senatorial district in an attempt to bribe the Electoral officers to change results in his favour. Having failed, the party said he detained the Electoral Officer for Essien Udim and began altering results of the area.
“Having seen the resounding rejection served him by his Senatorial District on the Election Day, Senator Akpabio in company of police and military men stormed INEC offices in the federal constituencies of his Senatorial District in an attempt to bribe the Electoral officers to change results in his favour. Having failed to succeed in that respect, he detained the Electoral Officer for Essien Udim(His LGA) and commenced the falsification of results. When accosted by foreign observers who sought to monitor the collation, his thugs harassed the observers and chased them away.”
The party also linked the arrest of some of its members to what they described as frivolous petitions written by Nsima Ekere, Godswill Akpabio and Ini Okopido, APC Chairman, against PDP members. Barr. Ememobong said the APC bigwigs facilitated the relocation of AIG Musa Kimo from zone 6 to the state to enable the APC chieftains carry out their plans against members of the PDP.
This, the party said, has led to the arrest of some its members without recourse to court injunctions against such arrests. “Before the elections, Senator Akpabio, Obong Nsima Ekere, Ini Okopido and other APC chieftains undertook the regular submission of frivolous petitions against top PDP members to necessitate their arrest by the police. To give fillip to their plan, they facilitated the relocation of AIG Musa Kimo from zone 6 to Uyo, so that immediately any petition from the APC is brought, he will instruct the CP to enforce the arrest of the PDP stalwart accused. Last week, scores of PDP faithfuls were arrested and detained for no justifiable reason, even those with valid injunctions from the court were not spared.”
The party noted that members of the PDP including Captain Iniobong Ekong, Barr. Akan Affia, Godson Uwah and many other strong members of the party were arrested, adding that others like Senator Bassey Albert, Obong Paul Ekpo, Rt. Hon Onofiok Luke, Engr. Uwem Okoko, among others who were penciled down for arrest, only escaped by the whiskers.
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