The APC has termed the treatment which the party has received from INEC in Akwa Ibom state since the deployment of Mike Igini to the state as REC injustice.
In that note the All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the removal of Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini
The petition calls for the immediate removal of the state REC within the next 48hours.
The petition, dated July 7, addressed to INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, and siged by the party Zonal Organizing Secretary, South-south, Blessing Agbomhere the party expresses it’s desire to see Mike Igini removed from office.
The APC in Akwa-Ibom has been in crisis for a while. There has been a power tussle between a former national secretary of the party, John Akpanudoedehe and Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of the state.
The tussle for the control of the party has created factions within the party and also parallel primaries. In Akwa-Ibom North-west, Udom Ekpoudom and Mr Akpabio emerged as senatorial candidates. , However, INEC recognised the election that produced the former.
Mr Akpanudoedehe has since defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Despite his defection, the crisis in the state persists.
Mr Igini in an interview with Arise TV, said the APC in the state failed to abide by extant laws. He noted that a faction used forged documents to acquire “fraudulent judgement.”
The petition
The APC in the petition accused Mr. Igini of having a compromised integrity as they said that the REC has been compromised and is obviously partisan I’m his leadership which had affected the APC negatively.
The petition reads,“From the foregoing facts we have just made available to you, Mr Chairman, there will be no gainsaying that Mr Mike Igini, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, has been compromised, shown partisanship and regrettably so, abused his office as an INEC official hence we make the following prayers to you;
“That, Mr Mike Igini is not fit and proper to remain as the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner of the State. This is because a free and fair election begins with a free and fair process. Hence Mr Igini has compromised, he therefore lacks the capacity to conduct or supervise any election in the state.
“That, Mr Mike Igini be committed to the relevant authorities for prosecution for the violation of Section 26 of the Electoral Act of 2022.
“May I remind you, Mr Chairman, that the integrity of the Commission is greatly at stake here as this issue has generated not just statewide protests but also nationwide concerns by both members of our party and the generality of Akwa Ibomites and Nigerians.
“We believe that Mike Igini is not the only INEC REC in Nigeria hence his position should not bring disrepute of any sort to the Commission neither should the same be used as an oppressive tool against the All Progressives Congress or any other political party.
“Finally, Mr Chairman, we will be more than willing to approach the Code of Conduct Tribunal against Mr Mike Igini and also approach the Federal High Court to obtain an Order of Mandamus to compel the Commission in any event where our prayers and demands are not met within the time given.”
Further justifying why Mr Igini should be sacked, Mr Agbomhere said: “In 2019, Mr Mike Igini acted in gross violation of the Electoral Act by sabotaging the Senatorial Elections of His Excellency, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio. He did this, by maliciously supervising the cancellation of the votes of the Distinguished Senator all in his bid to ensure his loss of the election.
“He further went ahead, to ensure that the results of the election were mutilated and not announced at the INEC headquarters in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District which is at variance with the provision of Section 25(2)(e) of the Electoral Act of 2022 which provides that the results of Senatorial elections shall be announced at the Senatorial District’s collation centre. All of these led to the loss of Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Mr Mike Igini’s malicious enterprise and unjustifiable onslaught against our party achieved.
“After the landslide victory of Hon. Nse Ntuen, who emerged as the winner of the Essien Udim State Assembly Elections, Mr Mike Igini, in his usual act of dislike for our party in the state blatantly refused to issue a certificate of return to him as INEC REC of the state.
“We resorted to seeking legal redress and the court, having seen the merits of our claims, granted us an order mandating INEC to issue a certificate of return to Hon. Nse Ntuen. It will interest and surprise you to know that this order of the court was rudely disobeyed and arrogantly flung out of the windows of INEC by Mr Mike Igini all because Hon. Nse Ntuen was a member of the APC.”
The APC chieftain added that the party has been at the receiving end of injustice and ill-will since the deployment of Mr Igini to Akwa Ibom State.
