The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, accusing the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Mr. Mike Igini of failing to recognise a faction of the party loyal to former Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio.
In the petition dated July 1, 2022, and signed by the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, APC accused Igini of disobeying a court order for Akpabio’s candidacy to be upheld and unlawfully recognising a candidate produced by another factional group in the state chapter of the party.
It asked why an INEC official who is supposed to be an unbiased umpire, was meddling in intra-party affairs, urging the SGF to intervene.
Igini had said that based on the outcome of the APC State Congress held on October 16, 2021, INEC recognises Austin Ekanem as the authentic Chairman of the party who won with 1,278 votes while the candidate backed by Akpabio scored 006.
He alleged the former Minister forged the original result and altered the result so that the candidate who scored 006 later scored 1,006 while that of Ekanem was falsified to read 278 instead of 1,278, and with the forged document, the criminality was taken to court where they fraudulently got a judgement that Ntukekpo won the election.
The INEC boss noted that though the process of conducting the primary or congress of political parties is the exclusive right of the parties, its duty is only to monitor and write a report, but that the report of the commission has consequences if due process was not followed.
“Our report can be very decisive. It cannot be ignored,” he had said.
The INEC REC also noted with dismay that despite a Court of Appeal that ordered a Stay of Execution, the APC National Chairman went ahead to swear in Stephen Ntukekpo as State Chairman in flagrant disregard of a court order.
He declared that as far as INEC is concerned, the APC did not conduct any governorship primary in Akwa Ibom and to date, neither Akpabio nor his faction has been able to name the Abuja INEC officials who monitored the illegal midnight primary that allegedly produced one Akan Okon as Akwa Ibom APC candidate.
The four-paragraph petition dated July 1, 2022, and signed by the National Secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore, reads: “Re: Petition Against Mr Mike Igini (Resident Electoral Commission) for Willful disobedience to a valid order of court by according unlawful recognition to an illegal group in APC Akwa Ibom State.
“We wish to bring to your attention the contemptuous conduct and activities perpetrated against our Party by Mike Igini, (Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State), which have been highlighted in the petition attached herewith about the above subject.
“We hereby forward the petition to your good office and respectfully request for your intervention by conveying the concerns of the party contained in our petition to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the relevant security agencies.
“We are grateful in anticipation of your kind consideration and necessary action with regards to this request. Please accept the assurances of my highest regards.”
Igini recently threatened to institute a N1 billion libel suit against a chieftain of the APC, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere.
According to Igini, Agbomhere in a television interview he granted on June 29, accused him of working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State and consulting for state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.
Igini asked the APC chieftain to retract the said defamatory statements and tender an apology to him in four major TV stations and five prominent newspapers within the next 48 hours.
Source: Sahara Reporters
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