A'Ibom Federal legislators seek fresh gov, Assembly polls

APC governorship candidate, Mr. Umana Okon Umana (3rd from left) and running mate, Ben Ukpong (1st from right) with other stakeholders from A'Ibom state while in INEC to register their protest on the just concluded sham elections in the state."  .....Read story after the cut.....

The Akwa Ibom State caucus in the National Assembly on Wednesday asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to cancel the last Saturday’s election in the state and conduct a fresh one because the polls were stalled by massive rigging and violence.
Chairman of the caucus, Senator Aloysius Etok, who addressed journalists on behalf of his colleagues specifically alleged that the INEC officials were overwhelmed by the activities of the armed youths who frustrated the process across the state.
The lawmakers who are representing the various political groups including the PDP were unanimous in their call for the conduct of a fresh poll because that of last Saturday was disrupted by armed youths.
Etok, who is a PDP member representing Akwa Ibom North West, lamented that the armed youths made nonsense of the card readers because they carted away the ballot boxes after voting.
Etok said his colleagues had perfected strategies to challenge the conduct of the poll in a court of competent jurisdiction and that the call for a fresh poll would not affect the judicial process.
Etok said, “This is a very painful development because Akwa Ibom has been mirrored in bad light. It started with the emergence of wrong candidates during the primary elections conducted by the PDP.
“The development was most traumatising that it culminated in the defection of 22 governorship aspirants on the platform of the PDP. Akwa Ibom during the last election was faced with election malpractice and violence.
“As Senate caucus, we are pained by the development because our State was in the public domain for the wrong reasons.
“We condemn the poll and the outcome and we call on INEC to conduct fresh and credible poll in the state. We have taken this stand after due consultation with necessary stakeholders.”
In her contribution, the Labour Party candidate in the last governorship election in the state, Senator Helen Esuene, (Akwa Ibom South), alleged that the poll was characterized by lack of transparency and impunity in the electoral process.
She lamented that security operatives appeared helpless “despite the fact that we raised the alarm shortly before the poll but the powers that be ignored our cry.”
Esuene said, “We expected some sanity on April 11 but what we experienced was brazen impunity with the electoral process bastardised.”
She alleged that some INEC officials collaborated with the PDP to rig the poll and that ballot papers were thumb-printed and collated in private homes.
She said, “I want INEC to have the courage to do the right thing by canceling the election and organise a more free, fair and credible polls across the state.”
The APC Senator representing Akwa Ibom North East, Senator Ita Enang, lamented that the people prepared for the last election but the state institution, prepared for war.
He said, “There are about 50 buses with armed uniformed men, carting away ballot boxes. There were no elections. Photo copies of result sheets were given out hence no election was held.
“INEC should cancel the election. The institution of state should apologise to the people. No card reader was used.”
He called on the security agencies in the country to monitor the arms in the hands of youths.
He said, “There is no election at all. The exercise is a nullity. The call is without prejudice to any legal process being undertaken.”