An Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Staff, Ndueso Udoka, has told the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal that Mr Emmanuel Akpan of the All Progressive Congress (APC) hijacked materials in his ward with riffle threatening to kill them.
While being led in Evidence by Counsel to the PDP, Solomon Umoh SAN, Udoka who was the Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) for Odoro Ikot Ward 2, Essien Udim Local Government Area (LGA) faulted Chief Godswill Akpabio’s claim in paragraph 27 of his deposition that the APC won.
Udoka stressed that INEC Staff and materials were hijacked at RAC Center by Emmanuel Akpan who was the serving member of the National Assembly, to an unknown location and Officials were threatened with arms and forced to write results in favour of the APC.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the sacked federal lawmaker Emmanuel Akpan, the INEC official maintained that, “it was on 23/2/2019, I was the SPO of Odoro Ikot 2. When I got to the RAC center at Ikot Idim, I was trying to arrange election materials and to know my officials when they approached and started shooting. I ordered the bus driver to drive out so I can return the materials at Essien Udim. They blocked our bus and we could not go out.
“Hon. Emmanuel Akpan stepped out of one of the jeeps and told me that he is the only person that can shoot and kill.
“He said that I did not want to do what he told me to do, that I should have diverted all the materials to his house.
” He took us to an unknown location and ordered us to thumbprint and fill result sheets in his favour and later took us to INEC office,”Udoka exploded.
He told the tribunal that he was compelled at that point to enter the figure 7,991 as ordered, in favour of APC.
He explained that his polling officers were warned not to allot a single vote for the PDP in their respective units.
On Examination by Ifeoluwa, Counsel to INEC, Udoka affirmed through documents that there were neither ticking on Voters’ Registers marked Exhibits R97-R111 nor smart card reader accreditation on Exhibit R253 for Odoro Ikot Ward 2, Essien Udim LGA.
The witness also confirmed that out of all political parties that contested the 2019 National Assembly Election, results were written only in favour of the APC while other parties scored zero.
INEC through Udoka submitted that results for Odoro Ikot Ward 2 were cancelled due to noncompliance with electoral guidelines.
Continuing further, the PDP Counsel asked, “Police came here and dropped some documents claiming that they collated results.
“Was it the duty of the police to collate results?’ Umoh
Udoka answered in the negative.
“Commissioner of Police and Area Commander were not at Odoro Ikot 2. Am I correct,” Umoh asked again?
“I did not see them”, Udoka responded.
“In Paragraph 27 of Chief Godswill Akpabio’s deposition, he published a result and credited his party with 7991 votes and zero votes to the PDP. Was there any election that produced such result,” Umoh asked?
‘There was no election in Odoro Ikot 2, Udoka again responded.
The Tribunal adjourned to Wednesday, July 10, 2019.
