Witnesses have told the election petition tribunal in Akwa Ibom
State that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
cancelled collated results compiled from their units and wards.
They also alleged that INEC produced voters’ register which were
not used on election day.
Seven witnesses who testified on Senator Godswill Akpabio’s
petition, told the three-man panel, that they were amazed to hear
that collated results obtained from their units and wards were
cancelled after they were announced at the polling units and
wards.
They added that the petitioner, Akpabio, won convincingly in all
the units and wards that results were collated and announced.
The Ward Agent in Okon Ward 8, Essien Udim council, said he was
shocked to hear that the results which he signed at the collation
centre were cancelled by INEC in Uyo. He insisted he only heard
about the cancellation in the court.
Lead counsel to the third respondent (INEC) Ifeoluwa Otediran
said INEC cancelled the results in 17 of the 20 pulling units in
Okon Ward 8 because the voters’ resister used for accreditation
were not ticked, and INEC believed that there was no accreditation
of voters.
But the witness said: “My Lord, it is not true. There was
accreditation and our names were ticked in my Ward before we were
allowed to vote, and the same thing was done in other polling units
which our party agents told me about. There was no cancellation in
my presence. I was a ward collation officer for my party.
Testifying on INEC form EC8B1 for code 06 (Odoro Ikot Ward 6) of
05 registration area, a witness said he was surprised to hear, for
the first time inside the tribunal, that results in the 10 polling
units in his ward were cancelled. According to him, voters’
register presented to him in the tribunal was different from the
one used during the election.
“My Lord, these documents tendered here are different from the
one INEC brought to the polling units in Ward 8, Odoro Ikot, Essien
Udim council on election day. It is a surprise that INEC gave us
photocopied documents. I am surprised that there were original
documents. “Our names were ticked on the voters’ register they gave
to us, but it is shocking that our names are not ticked in this one
here at the tribunal,” the witness said.
The same scenario played out in Ukana West Ward 10 and Ukana
East Ward 9; both agents discovered at the tribunal that all
collated results in 7 and 10 polling units in the two wards were
cancelled by INEC without their knowledge.
The testimonies, according to legal analysts, revealed how some
INEC officials conspired to cancel the results of Senator Akpabio
to reduce his votes and declare his opponent winner of the
election.
Lead counsel to the petitioner S.I. Ameh was granted June 19 and
20 to present all his witnesses to continue their testimonies.