2019 general elections saga

 ...how REC issued fake materials for polls

 ...gets Lekki Mansion, increased EO's, staff bill

Top secret of how the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Mike Igini has gone deep into conspiracy with the Akwa Ibom State government to truncate the hope of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC from grabbing power has been hatched.

Igini whose template of conspiracy was unmasked as at Saturday, February 23 has been exposed by agents in government who reveal plans by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to rig election and stop the attempt by the APC to unseat them.

According to a strong source, Igini who has been paying electoral officers, returning officers and the security chiefs in the state, is said to have made huge takeaways from the coffers of the Akwa Ibom State government.

The source informed our reporter that the massive fraud witnessed during the presidential and national assembly election in the state, could only have succeeded owing to the covenant between the REC and members of the umpire's staff, who vowed to deliver on their respective parts.

Of the 31 local government areas of the state, none saw any of the original sensitive materials released for elections.

Our source hinted that fake materials were sent to all local government areas and that in those units and wards where elections held, materials used were all fake.

Government source revealed that while citizens were busy trying to exercise their franchise, four men arrived the Victor Attah International Airport Saturday morning with sensitive materials and headed straight to government house with government Hilux vehicles.

Two of them, one from the Central Bank and the other from INEC, and the others being security personnel, but without uniform had threatened to call for dismissal of airport staff who raised alarm on seeing the election materials.

We learnt the materials were being treated all day and night in government house, Uyo, where all the result sheets were filled and taken to INEC office on Sunday morning.

While it seems the elections were largely peaceful, especially in Uyo and some other parts of the state, ballots were evenly snatched in most APC stronghold where votes had end abruptly because armed thugs were seen jumping everywhere and carting away the materials.

Available media reports have shown how the PDP intimidated voters in remote places in the nine local government areas of Akwa Ibom Northeast Senatorial District, snatching boxes and other materials.

A senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC for the just concluded national assembly election in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Bassey Etim accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC of conspiring with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to rig election for the latter.

Bassey Etim of Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District in a petition made available to the press entitled, "Irregularities, Violence and Fraud in the Elections at the Akwa Ibom North East (Uyo) Senatorial District – A Petition for an Outright Cancellation of the Elections in the Senatorial District", alleged that the exercise was characterized by violence, massive rigging, snatching of ballot boxes, molestation of voters threat to human life, burning of houses and all forms of intimidation.

Accordingly, the document highlighted issues of alleged massive rigging throughout the nine local government areas of the district, cutting across Itu, Uruan, Nsit Atai, Nsit Ubium, Nsit Ibom, Ibiono, Etinan, Uyo and Ibesikpo Asutan local government areas.

He stated that INEC joined hands with agents of the PDP to "declare results of elections whereas there was no election, especially at Units 007 and 008 of Southern Uruan Ward IV.

Saying houses belonging to APC chieftains were burnt, he stated that result sheets in Nsit Atai were marred by unexplained cancellations and mutilations, all aimed at favouring the candidate of the PDP.

While no result sheets were seen anywhere in Nsit Ubium, INEC is said to have declared results in favour of the PDP candidates.

Meanwhile, multiple voting by PDP members is said to have marred the process in Nsit Ibom, even as materials were said to have been entirely hijacked, making the exercise unable to hold in most of the areas.

In Oron federal constituency, the exercise was marred by irregularities especially in Udung Uko where there was outright cancellation of election.

A close source told our correspondent that Igini could not doctor the result for the area, hence his decision to cancel the election.

Contrary to what seems to be seen in public of Mike Igini as a man of integrity, our source said Governor Emmanuel has given him a brand new mansion in Lekki area of Lagos.

Igini who was said to have bragged that he did not come to Akwa Ibom to count money has allegedly pocketed N5 billion from the Udom led government.

A reliable source said the money was paid to Mike Igini through a pseudo bank account three months towards end of 2018.

Meanwhile, all electoral officers across the state are said to have received N300 thousand naira on each election day, while returning officers smile home N500 thousand.

Also in the list of huge monetary inducement are the divisional police officers who allegedly receive N250 thousand while ad-hoc staff are getting N50 thousands.