Joe Effiong, Uyo,
The All Progressives Congress has asked for the redeployment of the  Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Mike Igini, as the commission prepares to conduct a senatorial election rerun in Akwa Ibom North West.
The appeal court sitting in Calabar had ordered a re-run in one of the 10 Local Government Areas of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District between Senator Chris Ekpenyong of the Peoples Democratic Party and Sen. Godswill Akpabio of the APC.
The APC through its forum of APC aspirants, however, addressed a press conference on Saturday reechoing the party’s initial call for the redeployment of the REC as a condition to be part of the re-run.
Coordinator of the forum Dr. Chris Enoch and Dr. Emaeyak Ukpong, political Advisor, while addressing newsmen said Mr. Igini should be redeployed before the conduct of the state northwest Senatorial seat rerun election “to pave way for a free and fair poll”.
The forum claimed that undue romance by the REC with the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state during the 2019 general elections was reason for the demand
“The outcome of the general elections in Akwa Ibom largely acclaimed as far below International standard has created deep suspicion and loss of faith in the electoral body to conduct the rerun under Mr. Igini as resident electoral commissioner”. The forum said
They also alleged preferential treatment of  the PDP and its stakeholders by the electoral body in the state under Mr. Igini which, according to them was manifestly demonstrated during the pre-2019 general elections  enlightenment and Interaction meeting at Ibom Hall  and the state INEC public outburst and media war against their party APC  as part of the reasons for the call.
 According to the group, Mr. Igini’s post-election utterances clearly demonstrated the inert hatred and disgust he nursed for APC as a party and some of its principal actors.
‘’It is worthy of note that on the heel of the appeal court judgment on the case of Senator Godswill Akpabio, the candidate of our party, APC, in the 2019 elections for the Akwa Ibom northwest Senatorial District against the Judgment of the Tribunal in which Senator Akpabio got a favorable ruling, the spokesperson of INEC  issued a press statement in which Akpabio was vilified and frontally accused of having sponsored thuggery during the election a claim the electoral body has not and cannot substantiate.’
“Such wild allegations is capable of poisoning the mind of the electorates against Akpabio in his local government area of Essien Udim where the rerun has been ordered by the Appellate court which is very crucial and strategic to Akpabio’s victory in the election.
‘’ In any electoral contest as witness in advanced- democracies gallant losers and magnanimous victors are bound to emerge at the end of the exercise, but this is only possible in a seamless, rancor free contest impartially supervised by an unbiased and uncompromising umpire passionately guided by the rules of the game and personal morals and ethics.
 ’On the basis of the foregoing the confidence and trust in which electorate in the state held the REC has been completely eroded and was mere gratuitous given the acclaimed integrity of INEC at the national level; we members of APC aspirant forum hereby call for the immediate redeployment of Igini and a new one that would inspire confidence in the electorates preparatory to the conduct of free, fair credible and acceptable rerun election be posted to the state”.