The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared Mr Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner of the Akwa Ibom State governorship election held on March 18.
Emmanuel Adigio, INEC’s Returning Officer, and Vice-Chancellor, Nigerian Maritime University, Delta, announced the results on Sunday, March 19, 2023.
He said Eno won in 29 out of 31 local government areas of the state to defeat Sen. Bassey Akpan of the Young Progressive Party, YPP.
He said that the PDP candidate scored 354,348 votes, beating his closest rival the Young Progressive Party, YPP, who got 136,262 votes.
He further stated that the All Progressives Congress, APC, scored 129,602 votes, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, got 12,509 votes while Labour Party, LP, scored 4,746 votes.
INEC Blacklists 100 Ad Hoc Staff Over Electoral Malpractices In Akwa Ibom
Cyril Omorogbe, the INEC resident Electoral commissioner in Akwa Ibom, says the commission has delisted 100 ad hoc staff in the state over alleged involvement in election malpractices.
Omorogbe made the disclosure in an interview with journalists in Uyo on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
He said the affected ad hoc staff were found culpable of electoral malpractices during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
”We blacklisted them, we will not use them during the Governorship and House of Assembly elections on Saturday,” he said.
The resident electoral commissioner said the commission had started distributing sensitive materials to Local Government Areas of the state ahead of the Saturday elections.
Omorogbe said that all arrangements had been made to ensure the early arrival of materials and personnel for the polls.
”We have made adequate preparations to ensure that materials and personnel do not arrive late at polling units.
”We are aware of the complaints raised during the presidential and national assembly elections, we do not want that to repeat itself,” he said.
He said the commission had made arrangements for backup vehicles in the event of a sudden breakdown of any utility vehicle.
”This arrangement is to ensure that materials and personnel are conveyed to polling units without delay.
”I can assure you that the challenges we faced during the last elections won’t be repeated,” he said.
He said the commission was collaborating with security agencies to ensure improved security during the exercise.
Again, PDP Calls For The Resignation And Arrest Of INEC Chairman Yakubu
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called for the resignation, arrest, and investigation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu over alleged manipulation of the February 25 presidential election result.
In a keen contest, PDP presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar lost to Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. While Atiku polled 6,984,520 votes to come second in the race, Tinubu came out top in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states and secured significant numbers in several other states to claim the highest number of votes — 8,794,726.
Mr Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, who, in less than a year, galvanised young voters in a manner some have described as unprecedented finished the race with 6,101,533.
Both Atiku and Obi have rejected the outcome of the election, vowing to challenge the result in court.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday, March 10, 2023, in Abuja, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Debo Ologunagba, alleged that the election results were mutilated, as the commission deliberately refused to transmit polling units results as provided by the Electoral Act.
He maintained that the INEC chairman’s exit would be the first step to rebuilding confidence in the electoral body.
Ologunagba also asked the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, INEC, to commence an investigation of the INEC Chairman.
Source: Daily Post
