APC Candidate in Akwa Ibom Raises Alarm as INEC lists Units with Published Results on IReV for Supplementary Election
By Ekemini Simon
As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares for supplementary election in some parts of Akwa Ibom State on Saturday, April 15, 2023, the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika federal constituency, Mr. Clement Jimbo has presented evidence he said points to the fact that INEC wants to manipulate the election.
Mr. Jimbo has presented evidence showing that the Independent National Electoral Commission in Akwa Ibom state has listed units where elections results were announced and uploaded on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) yet still schedule the supplementary election to hold in those places.
INEC had declared the House of Representatives election in Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika federal constituency inconclusive and ordered a supplementary election in 25 units.
The results declared by INEC showed that Mr Clement Jimbo was leading with a margin of 2,962 votes.
At a joint press conference held on Wednesday April 5, with his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, Mr Jimbo noted that election was conducted, results declared, signed by political parties agents and uploaded on IReV in four of the 25 units listed by INEC for the supplementary election.
He said the polling units where Form EC8A(II) which is polling unit result were uploaded on IReV are Primary school, Oku Abak, Abak Urban lll, Abak local government; Village Square, Ikot Onono, Odoro 1, and Nto Ukpong Ntia, Odoro 1 in Ika local government area and Primary School, Nto Edet in Etim Ekpo ward V, Etim Ekpo local government area.
He explained that out of the 25 listed polling units, Form EC40G (Record of Election not held/Cancelled at Polling Unit Level) was filled and uploaded on the IReV in only 14 polling units documenting the reasons why election did not take place or was cancelled in the said 14 units (elections disrupted).
Jimbo pointed out in four polling units, results were not uploaded and no reason whatsoever has been offered in respect of the four units. He said neither Form EC8A (II) nor EC40G were uploaded on the IReV in these units, namely:Etim Ekpo LGA – Etim Ekpo III, Secondary School, Etok Uruk Eshiet; Etim Ekpo LGA – Etim Ekpo III, Village Hall, Etok Uruk Eshiet; Etim Ekpo LGA – Etim Ekpo III. Village Hall, Ikot Nkim, Utu Clan; Etim Ekpo VII – Primary School, Obio Nung Achat.
The APC Candidate offered insight to the fact that at one polling unit, officials and materials were not deployed while two polling units with ineligible handwritten notes were uploaded on IReV.
Jimbo alleged that from available facts, some compromised officials of INEC are working with the PDP in the State to illegally increase the number of polling units for the supplementary election in order to upturn his margin of lead.
Meanwhile, counsel to Jimbo from the Inibehe Effiong Chambers stated that it has already submitted a petition on the fraudulent scheme by INEC in Akwa Ibom State to the Chairman of INEC, Prof Yakubu Mahmoud on behalf of her client.
The counsel said the petition demands a review of the number of polling units where the supplementary election is expected to take place in line with the dictates of Section 24 of the Electoral Act 2022.
He added “Polling units where elections had taken place and results already uploaded on IReV should be excluded. Copies of Form EC8A (II) uploaded on IReV for 4 of such polling units which we have identified among the 25 polling units will be made available to the media.
“We demand for the removal and replacement of the Electoral Officer (EO) of Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, Mr Edet Eyo Effiong. There are troubling indications that the neutrality of the said EO has been undermined. His conduct during the February 15, 2023 election shows that he has been compromised and should not be allowed to take part in the supplementary election.
“We call on INEC to examine all BVAS machines intended to be used for the supplementary election in the constituency to ensure that the integrity and default components of the BVAS have not been compromised.
“INEC should also put in place stringent measures to ensure that the integrity of the supplementary election, and the neutrality and safety of the INEC officials who will be deployed for the supplementary election in the constituency, are guaranteed.
“The Commission should reiterate to Presiding officers who will participate in the supplementary election, the necessity of uploading, transferring or transmitting the results on the IReV in real time.”
Meanwhile, Independent check on the IReV by TheMail Newspaper has confirmed that election results for the four units listed by INEC for the supplementary election are already published on the portal.