Five
persons have been feared killed in Akwa Ibom State during the
governorship and state House of Assembly elections on Saturday.
A reporter with one of the local tabloids, Radar Newspaper, Mr. Aniedi Ukoenang’s whereabouts is unknown.
The
killings occurred at Ward 5, Unit 14, Mbiabong Etoi and Shelter Afrique
(Uyo); Ndiya in Nsit Ubium; Etim Ekpo, and Ini Local Government Areas
of the state.
The reporter was said to have
been abducted by the Peoples Democratic Party thugs at Ekpeyong Ufum
village, Odoro Ikot clan in Essien Udim LGA.
The Publisher of the tabloid, Mr. Franklyn Isong, confirmed the kidnap of the reporter.
Meanwhile,
the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State has announced the
boycott of the governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the
state.
The decision by the party to call for the boycott and
cancellation of the elections followed a reported widespread hijack of
electoral materials by thugs and armed fake policemen, suspected to be
sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party.
In Uyo, Etinan, Onna,
Eket, Nsit Ubium, the five local government areas of Oro, Uruan,
Ibiono, Nsit Ibom, Oruknam, among others, report that ballot box
diversion, thump printing of ballot papers, characterised the April 11
elections in Akwa Ibom State.
It was also learnt that many
centres were denied electoral materials. And in the areas, where they
were provided, the figures would not tally with the number of accredited
voters.
At Uda Ward 2, Unit 2, Unyenge in Mbo LGA, an INEC
ad-hoc worker allegedly hid in the bush when indigenes discovered that
he tore the fake result sheets he gave to villagers as he tried to
replace the thump printed with original ones.
An indigene,
Mfoniso Ekpimah, who spoke with our correspondents, explained that the
youths of the area seized the ballot box, tore all the electoral papers
and seized the card readers while the INEC ad-hoc worker escaped to an
unknown destination in the bush.
The APC governorship candidate
in the state, Mr. Umana Umana, said out of 1,571 registered voters, only
450 ballot papers were sent to his polling unit.
He stated that for a long time, voting materials were not brought to his unit and in all the other units in Nsit Ubium LGA.
Umana stated that he received a report that materials had been diverted to the residence of Senator Effiong Bob.
He
noted that the action was violently done by thugs, who assaulted agents
and INEC officials on their way to deliver the election materials.
Credit: Punch
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