Akwa Ibom Govt Speaks On Allegations Of Planning With INEC To Rig Elections On Saturday

Akwa Ibom State Government has dismissed as unfounded and mischievous statements credited to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and former Senate Minority leader and chieftain of APC, Godswill Akpabio, of an unholy alliance between the state government and the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, to the extent of influencing the placements of ad hoc staff among other malicious allegations.

In a statement made available to the media and signed by Charles Udoh, commissioner for information and strategy, the state government said the allegations were part of “an orchestrated script of the APC to actualize their much-vaunted plans of taking over power in the state through violent and sinister plots.”

The state government noted that at several instances, the former Senate Minority leader has boasted that he will capture Akwa Ibom State within three hours on election day.

“His supporters have also repeatedly chanted that elections results will be written and announced without recourse to the will of the people at the polling centers using federal might.

“A combination of these raise a lot of dust over the intent of the seemingly persistent and overt interest of Oshiomole in the affairs of Akwa Ibom State to the extent of canvassing for the replacement of the electoral umpire”.

“It paints a graphic picture of a man who is pulling the puppet strings for the former Senate Minority Leader.

“It is worrisome that these two supposedly respectable former Governors; who are expected to be role models to the younger generation, have taken the art of unguarded utterances and reckless actions to a new realm with impunity.

“Against this backdrop, it is obvious that the ongoing desperate chants by the APC for the removal of the electoral umpire in Akwa Ibom State is an orchestrated plan to manipulate the electoral process.

“We therefore draw the attention of the International Community, Human Rights Organizations, Foreign Missions in Nigeria, Law Enforcement Agencies, and the general public to the nefarious plots being hatched against the government and people of Akwa Ibom State.

“It is on record that at several instances the APC in Akwa Ibom State have displayed flagrant acts of impunity that alludes to their desperate desire to actualize their hideous script.

“At a rally in Ikot Ekpene, their Governorship candidate; the former Managing Director, of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) proudly received and flaunted gifts of guns, daggers and machetes from his party chieftains who admonished him to be ruthless in utilizing those instruments of assaults.

“This was seen on National TV live broadcast and streamed live on several social media platforms.

“We are all living witnesses to the incessant threats by the former Senate Minority Leader to visit mayhem on the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State as part of his plot to wrestle power at all cost,” the statement said.

It urged the people to remain law-abiding and civil but never to compromise their legitimate rights addition that the state government remains firmly committed to the observances and protection of the rule of law in Nigeria with the utmost integrity.

“We must not allow the peace, safety, and security we have enjoyed as a state since May 29, 2015, to be compromised by a few self-seeking individuals who lead a pack of misguided elements, the statement stated.