Akwa Ibom: Igini reacts to allegations

The Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) has denied manipulating the Presidential and National Assembly election results in the state.

Mike Igini said that the allegation was not true and that the election was not manipulated.

“We have a total of 2,980 polling units, and I was not in any these polling units from the opening to the close of the polls,’ he told NAN on Saturday in Uyo.

“I have no vote to give nor will I allow anybody to manipulate the election process,” igini said.

He noted that the commission had put in place anti-rigging devices to check election malpractice in the state.

Igini explained that the strength of the political parties were determined on the election day at the polling units.

The Akwa Ibom REC noted that the era where politicians were writing results had ended in Akwa Ibom, alleging that politicians before now carried result sheets to their houses, thumb print and re-write results.

“The era of writing results on behalf of the good people of Akwa Ibom is gone forever,” Igini said.

However,   Sen. Ita Enang, the Senior Special Adviser to President Buhari on National Assembly Matters,  insisted that there were several irregularities during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

He said the results  in Akwa Ibom do not in any manner reflect the true voting and will of the people of the state..

“ I have thought that in the course of the elections that Igini will display what I thought I knew about him in terms of integrity,’ he said.

“But the last elections of Feb 23,  is the lowest low.”

Rather than approach the election tribunal in the state, APC Sen. Godswill Akpabio who felt rigged out of the senatorial contest, has gone to court, and obtained a restraining order against INEC issuing Chris Ekpeyong a certificate of return.

Ekpeyong was delared winner of the election by INEC on Saturday.