DENNIS UDOMA, Uyo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa-Ibom State has announced Saturday March 12, 2016 for the re-run elections in five state constituencies and Uyo Senatorial District.
Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Gabriel Ada made this known to leaders of political parties and other stakeholders at a meeting in Uyo Wednesday.
He said that elections would hold in Etinan, Ibesikpo-Asutan, Ikot-Ekpene/Obot Akara, Oron/Udung Uko State Constituencies and 24 polling units in Itu Local Government Area spread across nine Registration Areas/wards.
Also, election would take place in three polling units in Southern Iman Ward 8, Etinan Local Government for the remaining Senatorial District in Akwa Ibom North East, while in Ibesikpo-Asutan, the entire Ward 2 would be affected.
Others are Ibiono Ibom Local Government: 21 units and five Wards, Ibiono Ward-02, Ibiono Ward-04, Ibiono Ward-07, Ibiono Ward-09 and Ibiono Ward-10. The same thing in Nsit Atai Local Government Area Wards 5 and 9 as well as Eastern Nsit ward 1 and the entire Ward 3 in Uruan Local Government Area.
Election is also scheduled to hold in Uyo Local Government Area Ward 9 and three units in Ward 3, the Resident Electoral Commissioner stated assuring that, the commission would be fair in the exercise.
But in a swift reaction to INEC’s preparedness to conduct a better election, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Austine Mbe expressed pessimism that, the commission lacks moral justification to that alleging that almost every worker in INEC is corrupt.
Mbe, went further to say that, over 99 per cent of personnel in the last election in the state compromised.
Dr. Ada had assured that the complaints would be looked into, urging all the political parties to report any staff found wanting during the re-run elections for disciplinary action.
According to him, “We have taken note of every complaint you have made and the recorded lapses in the 2015 elections and, I want to assure you that INEC will improve on those lapses. But I want to advise that, you should not begin to prepare yourself for violence in the rerun elections because provisions have been made for you to follow the election process from the polling units to the collation centre.
“Besides, since election would hold in less-than one-third of the state, it will be easier for INEC to control the process from being hijacked. So, go and campaign to the people so that they will vote for you,” he said.
