From Joe Effiong, Uyo
A senior lecturer in the University of Uyo, Prof Ignatius Uduk, is to remain in prison for four days pending the determination of his bail application in a case bordering on electoral malpractice during the 2019 house assembly election in Essien Udim State Constituency of Akwa Ibom State.
Uduk, who was posted by INEC as a Returning Officer to that Constituency, which is Senator Godswill Akpabio’s constituency, had rushed back to INEC headquarters in Uyo, to narrate a tale of woes of how he and other electoral officers were molested by the locals, leading to his being compelled to announce a fake result.
“Violence was unleashed on electoral officers who had to flee for safety. As a result, it would not be unexpected that the sensitive electoral materials were destroyed, such as ballot papers and result sheets. I was not spared as I also ran for my dear life,” Aduk said in writing to INEC.
He added that he was compelled to announce a result he knew nothing about, but had to do it for his safety.
INEC was, however, stunned when Aduk later appeared as a witness of a candidate in the same election when the matter appeared before the election petitions tribunal.
INEC has filed in the case with Charge No. HU/240/2020, that instead of Aduk responding to their several pleas and invitations to clear his controversial volt face, he had rather written, threatening the commission, through his lawyers, with litigation, should they (INEC) further send him any more invitation on the matter.
The commission had to approach the court praying for a warrant of arrest, which the court, presided over by Justice E. A. Archibong, readily granted against Aduk, after he, allegedly, had equally avoided being served courts summons, forcing the court to resort to substituted service at the office of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo.
On finally appearing in court, yesterday, Uduk had already filed affidavit asking for bail; but, in a counter affidavit, INEC had opposed the bail application on the grounds that the lecturer would not make himself available in court in future hearing, based on his evasive antecedent.
The commission insisted that “the accused/applicant will jump bail if admitted. His actions of evasiveness and running out of Akwa Ibom State, entirely, to Abuja and other places, in the past weeks, depict this very fact.”
INEC also deposed to, in the counter affidavit, “that the complainant ((INEC), before the filing of this charge, had invited the accused/applicant for certain explanations on the conduct of this election, but he, also, evaded the complainant’s invitation.”
Justice Archibong, after listening to defence counsel led Mr Samuel Ndah, and INEC team led by Kpoobari Sigalo, reserved the ruling on the bail application for December 12, 2020, even as Aduk would remain in custody till then.