Akpabio: God will expose Igini’s sins

Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom Northwest) is sure God will soon expose those who fraudulently orchestrated his loss in the last election.

Akpabio specifically accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, of manipulating the election to rob him of his mandate. “Igini is the most compromised electoral officer in Nigeria and should not be allowed to hold public office”, he said.

The former governor spoke at the weekend in Ukana, Essien Udim Local Government Area, during an empowerment for his constituents.

1,200 beneficiaries got N100,000 each. Akpabio also distributed school bags and starter packs to pupils to mark the end of his tenure in the Senate.

The senator insisted he did not lose the election, and urged his people not to be dismayed by the temporary setback.

He said: “The evil manipulation by Igini and his cohorts are being exposed as evidenced by the arrest of some persons with card readers and other election materials. Please nobody should have any headache, nobody should cry because there is no need. You know your senator cannot lose election because we were all there.

“But many of them thought they can go and write whatever they like, and even cancel what you won. I have never in my life experienced a resident electoral commissioner like Mike Igini, and my message to him is that his hypocrisy will be exposed.

“There is no way you can come into Akwa Ibom and commit that kind of electoral fraud and then go back to Channels Television and sit down and talk as if you are a pope. One day, the world will know you, and very soon, the world will know you. All the materials we are recovering everyday will expose you.

“Just on Friday, the police arrested people carrying materials from where they voted and were trying to sneak into INEC. The other day, they arrested someone with card readers. He was frantically calling and trying to say that they were used for training three months after election so that they will continue to manipulate.”

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The former governor said he intends to join President Muhammadu Buhari to sanitise the country’s electoral system so that “the likes of Mike Igini will not stop the votes of Nigerians from counting”.

“For me, it is important as a former governor and elder statesman to join the President to sanitise the electoral process so that we will ensure that votes count in future elections.

“There is no need for Nigeria to continue taking one step forward and five steps backward,” Akpabio added.

But Igini said Akpabio was making noise to attract Buhari’s attention for a possible federal appointment.

According to him, Section 131 of the Electoral Act excludes him and other officers of the commission from being listed as respondents in post election litigations.

He said it was preposterous for Akpabio to keep blaming him for his political misfortune, adding that he was not on the field on election day to have influenced voters against the senator.

A statement by INEC’s Public Affairs Officer in the state, Don Etukudoh, reads: “One cannot condescend to this ridiculous level of name- calling every day, as if Senator Akpabio cannot apply himself to other things that can be useful to the society.

“The last daily report of the tribunal proceedings to the office shows that he is still at the tribunal. So why this sudden appeal to God when the tribunal proceedings are still on? At least there are two layers of adjudication over complaints of undue return of winners in a constituency election – the tribunal and the Appeal court. The senator should, therefore, refrain from these verbal assaults and be patient by exhausting these earthly channels before this hurried appeal to God. Our Lords Temporal must be allowed their hearings before proceeding to disturb our Spiritual Lord.

“Again, this pedestrian strategy of sustained media noise-making so that Abuja would remember them is to say the least very shameful. Akpabio must sustain the noise to attract the attention of Abuja for possible consideration for an appointment. The tribunal states very clearly that Section 137 excludes my office and other officers of the commission from being listed as respondents.”