INEC destroying electoral evidence in A’Ibom poll – APC

By Eniola Akinkuotu

The All Progressives Congress has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of burning ballot papers and other sensitive materials used in the Akwa Ibom governorship election in order to protect the ‘stolen’ victory of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this at a press conference in Lagos on Monday.

The APC spokesperson, while displaying pictures of destroyed materials, noted that some materials were set ablaze while others were immersed in water.

Mohammed said such materials were supposed to have been preserved but were destroyed in order to thwart the APC’s case at the Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

He said INEC’s hands were not clean and that was why the commission opposed the APC’s prayer to inspect the materials.

“The Department of State Service recently invited the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Austin Okojie, and some other officials working under him to help in their investigation into the discovery that the commission had destroyed and attempted to destroy evidence in election petitions before the state election petitions tribunals by shredding ballot papers, immersing them in water, mixing them all up and stuffing them in jute bags which are then left out in the open at the mercy of the elements.

 “This evidence was made available to the DSS, which then launched an investigation to determine those responsible for the criminal acts. The state of the electoral materials discovered in the course of the forensic examination ordered by the tribunal was so bad that we now know why INEC, in concert with the PDP, did everything to stop the forensic examination of the ballot papers.”

The APC spokesman said INEC disobeyed three valid orders of the tribunal authorising the governorship candidate of the APC, Umuna Umana, to conduct a forensic examination.

Mohammed said after INEC discovered that the APC had taken photographs of ballot papers from Itu, Ibesikpo, Ika and Uruan local government areas that showed the twisted and mangled state of the election materials, the commission stopped the party from proceeding to other local government areas.

He said the PDP was trying to cover its tracks and that was why it was engaged in an orchestrated campaign of misinformation on the proceedings.

Reacting to the search of the Akwa Ibom Government House by the DSS, Mohammed said the APC had no hand in it and warned the PDP to stop accusing his party for the activities of security agencies.

Culled from Punch newspaper