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The Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) victorious in the Essien Udim Local Government Area during the recent local government elections held on Saturday.
This announcement comes amid growing controversy surrounding the election results.
Aniedi Ikoiwak, the Chairman of AKISIEC, confirmed that Ntiedo Usoro of the APC was elected as the candidate for Essien Udim.
Notably, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a prominent member of the APC, hails from this local government area, which adds to the significance of this victory for the party.
In contrast to AKISIEC’s declaration, a video circulating on social media features Inyang Ating, a professor from the University of Uyo, who served as the Returning Officer (RO) for the Essien Udim election.
In the video, Ating reportedly announces that Enobong Patrick of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) emerged as the winner of the election, raising questions about the validity of AKISIEC’s results.
“I hereby certify that I was the Returning Officer for the election held on the 5th of October 2024. The election was contested, and the candidates received the following votes: Hon. Ntiedo Usoro of the APC: 686 votes; Engr. Enobong Patrick Friday of the PDP: 55,612 votes.
“Engr. Enobong Patrick Friday, having complied with the requirements of the law and having scored the majority of votes, is hereby declared elected. He also received more than 25% of the votes in all 13 wards of Essien Udim. I so declare, and I hereby sign as the Returning Officer,” he had said.
Reacting, Ikoiwak said the RO for Essien Udim in the election was Prof. Uduak Okon of the Department of Medical Sciences, University of Uyo, and not Ating as claimed in the viral video.
Ikoiwak explained that he had received a report from the Assistant Electoral Officer (AEO) that the Electoral Officer sent to the area had absconded with ballot materials sent to Essien Udim and hurriedly send the AEO back with necessary materials to conduct the election and bring the result.
He insisted that the RO for Essien Udim in the election was Prof Okon, who announced the election result for APC as 51,751 and PDP as 22,799 votes, and declared Usoro as the elected candidate for the LGA.
“The man who claimed to be the returning officer in Essien Udim was not on the list of appointed Returning Officers for the Saturday’s exercise, the winning margin by the PDP candidate on the video was too overwhelming to have denied the winner and his supporters did not revolt.
“It was when they discovered that the what the Polling Officer did in Essien Udim was discovered by AKISIEC, that they hurriedly went to somewhere in Ewet Housing, to do the video, using drivers and unidentified persons as their crowd to present what they presented to mislead the public.
“By the time they brought their result, they were told that Essien Udim’s result was already filed and I had insisted that results must be recorded on form 08D and that is what was accepted from all the LGAs,” he stated.
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