What manner of judgment?

There is tension in the Akwa Ibom State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the tribunal’s judgment nullifying the governorship election in 18 local governments. Correspondent Kazeem Ibrahym examines the events that led to the crisis.

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who expected victory at the Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, were shocked, following the judgment of Justice Sadiq Umar-led panel that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct fresh election in 18 Local Government Areas.

The battle ended on Wednesday, leaving many people confused on how to interpret the judgment. In Uyo, the state capital, there was no celebration. Members of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) gathered at the Ibom Plaza to show solidarity.

Opinions are, however, divided on whether it will be proper for Governor Udom Emmanuel to remain in office during the re-run. Pundits say the governor did not meet the criterion of spread as stipulated by the constitution. The tribunal’s verdict was silent on Emmanuel’s fate, but, his lawyer, Paul Usoro (SAN), said his client was not sacked by the tribunal.

Prior to the April governorship poll, the APC had accused the Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, Austin Okojie, of forming an alliance with the PDP to rig the election. The allegation was later supported with a petition addressed to the then Director General of the Department of State Security, and the Inspector General of Police.

Victor Iyanam, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, in his petition, accused Okojie of collecting bribe to the tune of N2.5b from former Governor Godswill Akpabio, to work against the APC’s interest at the election tribunal.

The allegation, was, however, denied by the chairman of the PDP, Paul Ekpo. He challenged the APC to present evidence of how the alleged sum of N2.5 Billion was disbursed to INEC officials by the state government, through whom, and by what channel.

The April 11 governorship election. People were maimed and some killed in the process. Ballot boxes were hijacked and snatched at gun point, some in connivance with the security agencies. Even INEC officials staff which many thought would have played the role of an unbiased umpire in the poll also compromised.

Former Governor Victor Attah could not cast his vote in his unit, Ibesikpo. The ballot papers meant for his polling units were hijacked by PDP thugs on the way to the centre. Attah was not the only stakeholder that was prevented from casting his vote. Others were the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umana Umana and other chieftains of the party.

Umana’s associates across the 31 local government areas were disenfranchised by the PDP led thugs. For instance, Ex-gov Attah called for cancellation of the poll severe punishment for perpetrators of election violence.

Attah, who spoke to reporters, shortly after he returned from his polling unit, told reporters that he witnessed policemen in uniforms carting away ballot boxes.

The shooting and attack by PDP thugs, according to Attah, was wide spread across the 31 local government areas.

His words: “I told INEC I have come to vote. So I will like to do my accreditation. They said sorry sir. It is not possible. I asked why is it not possible? They said at the distribution of electoral materials centre that people came with Machete, guns and shot into the air. They carted away all the materials including even the INEC card readers. Not just in my unit, several units in my area. They (INEC) arrived there without any electoral materials and card readers.

“The violence of shooting and attacking was so wide spread. Carting away of election materials including card readers? What does anybody wants to do with a card reader? My appeal which I have made to everybody that is prepared to listen to me is to accept the fact that truly there were no elections in Akwa Ibom State.

“The whole elections should just be cancelled. I am not talking about my units alone. I am talking about cancelling the entire elections in Akwa Ibom state and conducting it as soon as INEC finds it possible so that all eyes will be on Akwa Ibom state.

“So, that the people will now be forced to do a proper election. I now begin to understand why Akwa Ibom State is regarded as a battleground. I didn’t come to fight, I only came to do an election. I witnessed police in uniforms carting away ballot boxes.”

It was not only Attah that called for the cancellation of the poll. Other elders also did. Ex-Petroleum Minister Atuekong Don Etiebet was among those who championed the call for the cancellation.

While the computations of results were on going at the INEC office, some chieftains of APC led by its governorship candidate, Umana, marched to the INEC office in protest. They were followed by their teeming supporters. The chieftains wondered where INEC got the elections results from when there were no elections in almost all the polling units.

INEC’s announcement of Emmanuel as the winner sparked off protest among members of the APC. The protesters took to the street in anger. They dared the policemen. They mounted road blocks and carried placards with different inscriptions.

Some of the placards read: “No election took place in many of the local government areas yet INEC is announcing results. Governor Akpabio wants to impose Udom Emmanuel on us to cover up. We won’t allow this. We want cancellation of the ongoing results.”

Umana promised to challenge the victory at the tribunal and he did. He described the PDP victory as a coup against the people of the state.

He said: “Udom Emmanuel’s declaration is a coup against the people of Akwa Ibom state. So we will take the necessary steps to seek justice in the court of law for the people of Akwa Ibom state. You are a reporter and a journalist in Akwa Ibom State. You know we did not have an election. Electoral materials were hijacked everywhere and there were widespread violence.

“Above all, through out yesterday (Saturday), did you see collation taking place anywhere? At the local government level, there was no collation.

“So where are the results coming from? From the houses of people and from Government House. It is a travesty of justice. It is a crime against the people of Akwa Ibom state. We will seek justice in the court of law.”

Umana also said election materials were hijacked and taken to the residence of Sen. Effiong Bob in Ikot Ekwere in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of the state. He explained that thump printing of ballot boxes were supervised by the Special Assistant to Governor Godswill Akpabio on Security, Capt Iniobong Ekong (rtd).

He said: “Voting materials were not brought to my unit. That was also the position in every units in Nsit Ubium LGA. I received reports that materials have been diverted to the residence of Sen. Effiong Bob.  And this was violently done by thugs who assaulted agents and INEC officials on their way to deliver the materials.

“We protested and with assistant of Security personnel we were are able trace where these materials were taken to. When they raided that location, they found out that they had already started thumb printing and this was being supervised by one capt. Iniobong Ekong (rtd), Special Assistant to Govenor Godswill Akpabio on Security.”

But, Senator Bob, who later denied the allegation, said no thumb printing of ballot papers took place in his residence.

He said: “At Nsit Ubium, people voted the way they should go. He added that the voters had been at the polling booths since morning passing through the process of voting. People are here, they have come to vote, there is no violence, we preach against violence of any kinds. The election is peaceful because I will not be part of any incidence that will disturb somebody peace or insecurity of any kind. From what I have been briefed the whole of Nsit Ubium is peaceful.”

With the tribunal’s judgment, the battle is not yet over as the APC is insisting that it would appeal the judgment so that re-run can be done across the 31 local government areas.

As the people awaits the next line of action by the PDP-led government in the state, the protracted litigation according to pundits, will affect governance, particularly now that the masses were yearning for good governance.

To many, it is not yet Uhuru for the PDP, until the determination of the APC petitions by the Appeal Court.