On Tuesday, July 2, Nigerian lawmaker who represented Akwa Ibom north-west district in the 8th National Assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio today watched as Mr. Ekpenyong an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer for Ward 1 in Essien Udim local government area, Ammba Ammba, disclosed that the harrowing experience of INEC officials in the hands of armed thugs used by Akpabio during the last Presidential and National Assembly Elections, Igbere TV reports.
Ammba in an emotional tone, at the ongoing National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Uyo, narrated that he and some of his colleagues were abducted by Akpabio’s thugs who were heavily armed to a compound where there was no network and kept for a long period under very harsh conditions, Igbere TV reports.
“Presiding Officers were kept in captivity between the hours of 8:00am and 6:30pm, where they were forced to thumbprint and write results in favour of Senator Akpabio in Essien Udim,” Ammba added.
The incumbent Senator Ekpenyong was absent during the session as he was said to be attending plenary in Abuja.
Ammba who appeared for the defense team as DW3 after being subpoenaed to tribunal, tendered his report of the 2019 general election dated 23/02/2019 to be used as an evidence with his deposition.
Under re-examination by the INEC Counsel Ifeoluwa, Ammba explained that the reports signed by polling officials marked as P445-P449 were written at gunpoint while under captivity of Senator Akpabio’s armed bandits.
Ifeoluwa: “Look at Exhibits P445-P459. From your reports, these results were written under threat to lives of Presiding Officers in your ward. Is that so? ”
Ammba: “That’s correct my Lord”
Ifeoluwa: “On the first page, you’d see Ekpenyong 1 is listed as one of the wards affected by the cancellation. Am I correct?”
Ammba: “That’s correct My Lord”
Ifeoluwa: “Open the second page all 15 polling units in Ekpenyong 1 are listed in Exhibit R352A. Is that not so?”
Ammba: “That’s correct”
The INEC official also explained that the voter’s registers used for the elections had on them, the date they were printed, being Saturday, January 12, 2019.
“These registers were printed before the Presidential and National Assembly Elections,” Ifeoluwa asked?”That’s correct my Lord” Ammba replied.
Ifeoluwa: “So I’d also be correct to say that these were the registers that were distributed and used during the elections?”
Ammba: “That’s correct my Lord”
Relying on the voter’s register marked as R40-R55, Ifeoluwa extracted from the witness, an affirmation that the boxes meant to be ticked as an indication of accreditation, were not actually ticked.
Ifeoluwa: “Please look at the Exhibits again and confirm that there are no tickings on the boxes for accreditation for Presidential and National Assembly Elections”.
“I can confirm that there are no tickings for accreditation for Presidential and National Assembly Elections” – Ammba
Ifeoluwa: “I put it to you that since there are no tickings for accreditation on voter’s registers, it means there was no accreditaion”
Ammba: “That’s correct my Lord”
Ifeoluwa: “Because of this lack of accreditation, that’s why the 15 polling units in your ward were cancelled. Is that so?”
Ammba: “Yes my Lord”
“Presiding Officers were kept in captivity between the hours of 8:00am and 6:30pm, where they were forced to thumbprint and write results in favour of Senator Akpabio in Essien Udim,” Ammba added.
The incumbent Senator Ekpenyong was absent during the session as he was said to be attending plenary in Abuja.
Ammba who appeared for the defense team as DW3 after being subpoenaed to tribunal, tendered his report of the 2019 general election dated 23/02/2019 to be used as an evidence with his deposition.
Under re-examination by the INEC Counsel Ifeoluwa, Ammba explained that the reports signed by polling officials marked as P445-P449 were written at gunpoint while under captivity of Senator Akpabio’s armed bandits.
Ifeoluwa: “Look at Exhibits P445-P459. From your reports, these results were written under threat to lives of Presiding Officers in your ward. Is that so? ”
Ammba: “That’s correct my Lord”
Ifeoluwa: “On the first page, you’d see Ekpenyong 1 is listed as one of the wards affected by the cancellation. Am I correct?”
Ammba: “That’s correct My Lord”
Ifeoluwa: “Open the second page all 15 polling units in Ekpenyong 1 are listed in Exhibit R352A. Is that not so?”
Ammba: “That’s correct”
The INEC official also explained that the voter’s registers used for the elections had on them, the date they were printed, being Saturday, January 12, 2019.
“These registers were printed before the Presidential and National Assembly Elections,” Ifeoluwa asked?”That’s correct my Lord” Ammba replied.
Ifeoluwa: “So I’d also be correct to say that these were the registers that were distributed and used during the elections?”
Ammba: “That’s correct my Lord”
Relying on the voter’s register marked as R40-R55, Ifeoluwa extracted from the witness, an affirmation that the boxes meant to be ticked as an indication of accreditation, were not actually ticked.
Ifeoluwa: “Please look at the Exhibits again and confirm that there are no tickings on the boxes for accreditation for Presidential and National Assembly Elections”.
“I can confirm that there are no tickings for accreditation for Presidential and National Assembly Elections” – Ammba
Ifeoluwa: “I put it to you that since there are no tickings for accreditation on voter’s registers, it means there was no accreditaion”
Ammba: “That’s correct my Lord”
Ifeoluwa: “Because of this lack of accreditation, that’s why the 15 polling units in your ward were cancelled. Is that so?”
Ammba: “Yes my Lord”
