Egfe Yafugbori & Chioma Onuegbu
Tensions are high in Akwa Ibom State following conflicting results announced by the State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) for the chairmanship of Essien Udim Local Government Area (LGA), the home constituency of President Godswill Akpabio. are.
Professor Inyang Ating of the University of Uyo, who was the Returning Officer (RO) for Essien Udim LGA, initially declared Enobong Patrick Friday of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner during the announcement of the results on Saturday, resulting in a landslide victory. emphasized. For candidates.
However, in a surprising development, the state-wide results announced by the AKISIEC Chairman, Elder Anyedi Ikoyiwaku on Sunday, declared Mr Ntyedo Usoro of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of Essien Udim LGA; PDP reportedly won all the remaining 31 contestants. Local government within the state.
Although the AKISIEC results did not reveal the specific number of votes each candidate received, the earlier declaration by the RO showed that Enobong Patrick Friday of the PDP received an astounding 55,612 votes and only 686 votes. It is shown that he defeated his closest rival, Ntyedo Usoro of APC, who did not win.
Professor Atting said in the official results declaration: “I hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the election held on October 5, 2024. The election was contested and the candidates received the following votes:
My lord. APC’s Ntiedo Usoro: 686 votes
Enobon Patrick Friday of Engineering PDP: 55,612 votes
“Department of Engineering” Enobon Patrick Friday complied with the provisions of the law, received a majority of votes, and is hereby declared elected. He also received more than 25% of the votes in all 13 wards of Essien-Udim. I do so and hereby sign as a Returning Officer. ”
At the time of going to press, the AKISIEC chairman was in the process of submitting the certificate of return to the newly elected chairman at the Electoral Commission headquarters in Uyo, but avoided mentioning the conflicting results in Essien-Udim LGA. .
The situation has sparked anger among PDP leaders in Akwa Ibom, who have accused Governor Umo Eno of betraying the party and his predecessor, Emmanuel Udom, in favor of fostering closer ties with Senate President Akpabio.
The PDP chief told Vanguard: “Governor Eno has gone too far with his dubious romance with Akpabio and the APC, who were at loggerheads over his willingness to concede to Mr Akpabio ahead of the local government polls. claimed that their relationship was based on mutual respect and that it would not affect the election. Look at today’s results. They did not even manage to cover their tracks. We, Professor, have declared PDP the winner. AKISIEC will then void the field report and list APC as the winner.”
The chief further said, “Governor Eno needs to explain how this happened to the PDP. He has already betrayed Mr. Udom who made enemies including Mr. Akpabio to help him become governor.” If he had to negotiate with Tinubu, Akpabio and APC, he should have given them their own local government and not sold Essien Udim. This is just the beginning. is jeopardizing his chances for a second term.”
