The Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State have rejected the results of the governorship election conducted on March 18 in which the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Umo Eno, was declared as the winner.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had yesterday (Sunday) announced Eno as the governor-elect, having polled 356,346 votes to defeat Messrs Bassey Albert of the YPP and Akan Udofia of the APC who got 136,262 and 129,602 votes respectively
The candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Mr. James Akpan Udo-Edehe came fourth with 12,509 votes.
“That the Pst Umo Eno of the PDP having satisfied the requirements of the law is here declared winner of the governorship election in Akwa Ibom State,” the state returning officer and vice chancellor of the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, Prof Emmanuel Adigio, announced at the INEC headquarters in Uyo.
The PDP candidate won in 29 out of 31 local government areas of the state while Akpan, won in two.
The PDP candidate won in Udung Uko, Uruan, Ini, Esit Eket, Ikot Abasi, Ikot Ekpene, Etim Ekpo and 22 others while his YPP opponent won in Ikono and Ibiono Ibom council areas.
In their reactions, the YPP and APC called for the cancellation of the results.
YPP agent at the collation centre in Uyo, Mr. Kelvin Umoh, declined to sign the result sheet, alleging that the exercise was conducted at people’s houses Ini, Itu and Uyo local government area
He said his party would challenge the outcome of the election in court.
“I will not append my signature on this piece of paper for the blood of the people that have been shed in Ibiono Ibom. They are our party faithful so appending my signature will amount to abuse over their deaths because it calls for justice,” he said.
He also alleged that some of his party agents were chased out of the ward collation centres.
He said the results of the election “grossly violate and outrightly negate what our unit agents have transmitted to our situation room and therefore it would be a travesty of injustice for me to append my signature on what has happened here”.
For his part, the APC agent and former federal lawmaker, Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, said his party had called for the cancellation of the election in his Ika local government area.
Ekpo said the results from some polling units where the election was disrupted and materials destroyed were recorded in the final result sheet.
He said: “Election is all about representing people. Are we sure that what we are doing today is the reflection of the wishes of the people across Akwa Ibom State or we are just doing the normal rituals about result collation?”
