Joe Effiong, Uyo
Returning Officer for Essien Udim in the 2019 National Assembly election, William Olosunde, has dispelled the news that the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, asked him to cancel votes scored by Senator Godswill Akpabio of the All Progressives Congress (APC) .
Olosunde, while testifying, yesterday at the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Uyo, in the petition by Emmanuel Akpan of the APC against the election of Nsikak Ekong of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the Ikot Ekpene House of Representatives seat, said he had no contact with Igini during the collation process of the February 23 election.
When his attention was drawn by PDP counsel, Solomon Umoh (SAN), to a publication on the cancellation of votes in the area, the lecturer said: “My lord, I never at any point, anywhere, and even at this tribunal, said Igini asked me to cancel elections in some wards in Essien Udim.
“If anybody quoted me as saying Igini directed me to cancel election in Essien Udim, such a person is lying,” said Olusunde.
He said it was not until he entered the hall to announce his results that he saw Igini among the panel members on the table.
“I was told that my result was the one they were awaiting before going to Abuja, I entered and saw Igini on the high table, announced my result and left. He never spoke or gave me instruction.”
Under examination, the returning officer maintained that elections in Essien Udim were marred by over voting, absence of units’ results, thuggery and electoral violence.
The university lecturer confirmed before the tribunal that from the total number of accredited voters in the area during the election was 19,455 as captured by the smart card reader report Exhibit R153, while the petitioner, Emmanuel Akpan, is laying claims to 52,265 votes flaunted in Exhibit R 151.
He told the tribunal that following the absence of units’ results to back the ward results brought by ward collation officers, seven wards were canceled.
“Ikpe Annang was the first ward that we cancelled when Dr. David Edem came with the figures without any polling unit result, followed by Ukana West 1 and two others. I wrote it on the result sheet that the result could not stand since there were no units’ result to back the ward results brought for collation.”
On cross examination by S. I. Ameh, counsel to the petitioner, Olosunde said: “It was the electoral officer, who had drawn my attention to the absence of polling pnit’s results after I had started collation, and he took me to the head of operations on Monday, February 25, not Igini.
“It was the head of operations who communicated INEC guidelines and Electoral Act to me,” he concluded.
The tribunal chairman, Justice A. W. Akanbi, who intervened and asked the parties not to bother by what they see in the media as such would not affect the outcome of their case.
“The media can write anything so that should not worry you,” he said.