The Publicity Secretary of the Akwa Ibom State chapter of All Progressives Congress, Nkerewem Eyongekere, speaks with PATRICK ODEY on the rerun ordered by the Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal’s ruling in the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District where election was cancelled and a re-run ordered went the way of your party. How do you feel about that?
What we have noticed is that the All Progressives Congress has been vindicated by that judgment of the Appeal Court in Calabar. That is the cry we have been crying in Akwa Ibom State, that there has been collaboration between the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Peoples Democratic Party in the state but our people do not want to believe that. But I think at the temple of justice there was a vindication of that reality that the results were altered between what happened in Essien Udim Local government and what transpired in Uyo Local Government Area, when the result was taken from there to Uyo. That truth which was hurriedly murdered and buried by the tribunal has been unearthed through the appeal. The truth is that Senator Akpabio won at the senatorial district, but when the result was taken from there to Uyo, the result was changed. And that has been the bone of our contention and definitely the Appeal Court in Calabar, Cross River State, in its ruling nullified the election of Dr Chris Ekpenyong of the Peoples Democratic party, who was wrongly declared winner of the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial election. The ruling in its entirety is a testament that will open the eyes of the world to the misappropriation of justice meted out to our party, the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, by the election tribunal in Uyo in collusion with the unprogressive forces in PDP and INEC in the state. We are going to the election again to really determine what happened in that local government.
Does your party still have confidence of winning the election?
I don’t understand what you mean, but definitely we have said we don’t want Mike Igini, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Akwa Ibom State. If Igini is removed from the election, the election will be free and fair and we will contest and win the election. The real bone of contention is between what happened in Uyo and Essien Udim Local Government area, and I think what the Appeal Court has done is in the right sense of justice. The justices at the Appeal Court have come out to say, let us go back to see who actually was the winner at Essien Udim Local Government area of the state. Deducting the votes was a great disservice to the people who actually voted for our party.
Your opponent, the PDP is going into the re-run election with an advantage of over 38,000 votes in its kitty already. How do you hope to bypass the difference?
Is it an advantage or a deficit? There is about 105,000 votes. In a normal situation, about 90 per cent of the people will vote, and remember that Essien Udim LGA where the rerun is going to take place is Senator Akpabio’s local government. We are going to make it.
Your party has consistently accused INEC and its officials of being the reason for your party’s dismal performance during election in the state. What are your chances of winning this election?
If Mike Igini is not redeployed from the state, there will likely be protest and it is likely that there will be a boycott of the election because INEC with Igini are not fair to our party in the state.
Would the senator need to step aside from his ministerial position for the sake of the rerun?
It’s not very clear whether he is going to resign before he contests election because the Constitution is not very clear about whether he is expected to resign or not. Don’t forget that he is not a civil servant.
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