Though the 2019 general elections have been won and lost, the echoes are still reverberating across the country and politicians are trading accusations.
There are also claims and counter claims from the losers and winners alike and it seems obvious that the last may not have been heard about the just concluded polls.
This has without doubt has stirred mixed reactions across the length and breadth of the country.
In Akwa Ibom State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which secured victory by winning all the three senatorial seats and the 10 federal constituency seats in addition to winning the governorship, while it is sweet victory for the party, the opposition party seems to be crying foul.
According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the incumbent governor Udom Emmanuel polled 519,712 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nsima Ekere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who got 171,978 votes.
However, since the result of the election was announced by the returning officer, vice chancellor of the University of Benin, Faraday Osasere Onumwense, there have been counter accusations by the two main political parties in the state of who did what during the elections.
For instance, while the APC which lost the elections claims that it was robbed maintaining that “it won in 26 out of the 31 local government areas” vowing to claim its ‘stolen mandate,’ the PDP on the other has accused the APC of turning the state into a theatre of war, alleging that the party imported political thugs from Edo state in its desperate bid to rig the elections.
According Ini Emembong, publicity secretary of the party in the state, some politicians belonging to the APC in the state did everything possible to rig the elections, alleging that a top politician in one of the local government areas engaged in physically assaulting an electoral officer for failing to do his biddings.
“In Essien Udim, materials in Ekpeyong ward were hijacked by party agents at the voting units in Independence high school; thugs and policemen mounted the gates and prevented our supporters from gaining access to the venue.
According to him, thugs believed to be backed by a top politician and a serving member of the National Assembly unleashed “unmitigated physical attack on journalists and observers adding that a correspondent of a television station who was there to cover the elections was severely beaten up and chased away.
“As if that was not enough, the INEC office in the local government area was kept under siege by a member of the National Assembly’’ he stated.
The party which also gave a graphic description of the alleged electoral malpractice perpetrated by politicians added that in Ikot Abasi local government area where Nsima Ekere, the governorship candidate of the APC comes from, thugs were said to be on rampage carting away electoral materials and personnel and taking them to the residence of a top politician, where thumb printing was done.
“Pictorial evidence abounds to show armed soldiers arranging the voting queue to ensure that our supporters did not vote. In units 2, 6 and other units in ward 7 thugs led hijacked ballot boxes and electoral personnel, delivering them at the residence of a politician in the area.
“In Ikono Local Government Area, politicians belonging to the opposition party in the state went in company of armed policemen and thugs to shoot and hijack ballot boxes and result sheets. A politician in the area who had been a member of the National Assembly took some thugs to his hometown to harass voters, but met a stiff resistance from the villagers.
“In Uruan Local Government Area, mayhem was unleashed on anybody opposing their possession of electoral materials adding that one Raymond Umoiyak is currently hospitalised because of wounds sustained from shooting done by thugs.
“In Etim Ekpo local government area, evidence abounds that politicians in the area were in a competition for the best material hijacker and rigger.’’
Alleging that the opposition party in the state was not prepared for the elections but instead “was preparing for the use of the federal might,’’ he claimed that a governorship candidate in the state promised to pay all ward collation officers one million naira each, while local government collation and returning officers were to collect three million naira each adding that the elections were completely monetised.
“The result of this election is a reply by Akwa Ibom people to the senseless boastings of Godswill Akpabio, the former Senate minority leader and Ekere who claimed that God had no business in politics.
“We reiterate the call for the arrest of all the politicians involved in the numerous electoral malpractices committed by them in the course of these elections. The rule of law makes all men equal before the law,’’ he said.
In the same vein, Ini Okopido, chairman of the APC in the state who addressed a press conference after the election results were announced said the party would have nothing with the outcome of the elections.
He alleged that there was an unholy alliance between INEC and the PDP in the state adding that the party had earlier expressed lack of confidence in the electoral umpire.
“The commission, in collusion with the PDP, committed an electoral coup against the people by publishing results that that have no bearing with the results as counted,’’ he said.
According to him “our party rejects the results as announced but praised its supporters for their resilience during the polls expressing the hope that things would be better.
Some observers believe that the claims and counter claims by politicians and political parties are a sad commentary on election outcomes. They said it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good when politicians do not willingly accept the verdict of the people expressed through the ballot box.
ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo
