PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LARGELY CREDIBLE BUT.........

Dear Sir,

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION LARGELY CREDIBLE BUT.........

While not advocating for the cancellation of the presidential result as presented because one may not see adjustments that would not make Jonathan the winner, we must condemn the rigging that took place in some areas. Many do not doubt that the figures presented from the south-west, north-central, north-east and north-west may have been properly invigilated; those of south-south and south-east may not have.  

Most PDP states in the south-south and south-east went on to do the unnecessary things oblivious that Jonathan would have still won. Their actions have now provided alibis and one wished they never attempted. Take for instance, what was reported of Akwa Ibom PDP on the Presidential balloting. The DAILY TRUST newspaper of Monday April 18, 2011 page 10 reported attacks on local election observers, youth corps members and voters for allegedly refusing monetary inducement to thump print for a particular candidate. Corp members who refused the inducements for massive thump printing of ballot papers were manhandled while others abandon their job and went into hiding.

The INEC’s Head of Public Affairs and Political Party Liaison in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Edwin Enabor, reportedly confirmed how badly injured the three local election monitoring personalities brought to his office were when he told DAILY TRUST reporter that “They (the three local observers) were badly injured. There was blood all over them, they could not say much to me as they had problem speaking. They also told me that they had complained to the police in the area (Ibiono Ibom Local Government). This is a criminal case and INEC has nothing to do with, it is a police case”. Also at units 11 and 12 of Ikot Mbang in Onna Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, team of local observers and newsmen reported how some youths with guns and government marked vehicle stormed and “went straight for the ballot boxes while others went for ballot papers and also asked the corps members to follow them when not more than ten persons have voted.”

If a situation could not allow local observers to observe, one then does not see how observation by few foreign observers who had guided tours could report authentically. Even at that, during the National Assembly polls, foreign observers reported as farce, the election that took place in Akwa Ibom and this only got a passing mention on AIT. But what has all that propelled Professor Jega to do? He would do better by sending completely new invigilators and INEC officials to the south-south, and to Akwa Ibom in particular.

Udy Etop Akpabio, Umuahia Road, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom. edidiong.akpabio@yahoo.com