The Akwa Ibom State Government has described as false and baseless, an allegation that there was an unholy alliance between it and the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to the extent of influencing the placements of ad-hoc staff among other malicious allegations.
The state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr. Charles Udoh said in a statement tha the allegation was part of an orchestrated script of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to actualise their much vaunted plans of taking over the state by violent means.
Udoh stated that the allegation was made by the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomole and former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio while speaking at their party’s caucus meeting.
The statement added that at several instances, the former Senate Minority leader had boasted that he would capture Akwa Ibom State within three hours on Election Day.
“His supporters have also repeatedly chanted that elections results will be written and announced without recourse to the will of the people at the polling centers using federal might. A combination of these raise a lot of dust over the intent of the seemingly persistent and overt interest of Mr. Adams Oshiomhole in the affairs of Akwa Ibom State to the extent of canvassing for the replacement of the electoral umpire. It paints a graphic picture of a man who is pulling the puppet strings for the former Senate Minority Leader. It is worrisome that these two supposedly respectable former governors; who are expected to be role models to the younger generation, have taken the art of unguarded utterances and reckless actions to a new realm with impunity,” the statement said.
The statement added that the ongoing desperate chants by the APC for the removal of the electoral umpire in the state are an orchestrated plan to manipulate the electoral process.
“We, therefore draw the attention of the International Community, Human Rights Organisations, Foreign Missions in Nigeria, Law Enforcement Agencies, and the general public to the nefarious plots being hatched against the government and people of Akwa Ibom State.
“It is on record that at several instances the APC in Akwa Ibom State has displayed flagrant acts of impunity that alludes to their desperate desire to actualise their hideous script. At a rally in Ikot Ekpene, their governorship candidate; the recently sacked NDDC Managing Director, proudly received and flaunted gifts of guns, daggers and machetes from his party chieftains who admonished him to be ruthless in utilizing those instruments of assaults. This was seen on National TV live broadcast and streamed live on several social media platforms.
We are all living witnesses to the incessant threats by the former Senate Minority Leader to visit mayhem on the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State as part of his plot to wrestle power at all cost.
Despite these machinations, we urged our people to remain law abiding and civil but never to compromise their legitimate rights.”
