African Examiner
12 May 2011
Mr. Kingsley Ikpe Udoh
Dear Editor
I had followed religiously media opinions expressed by respected individuals
who constantly and in advance warned IGP Hafiz Ringim and the INEC
Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega of their fears for the governorship election
in Akwa Ibom. Such opinions suggested posting away the Akwa Ibom Police
Commissioner, Felix Uyanna, who was the only unaffected State Police
Commissioner in Ringim’s reassignment of all the Police Commissioners to
the States other than where they were before 31st March, 2011. Professor
Jega was warned to reassign the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs.
Maria Owi, who was compromised.
Reporting the April 26 governorship election, The PUNCH online April 27,
2011, in a story “Akwa Ibom: Five feared dead in election fracas”, reported
that five persons were killed in Ibiono Ibom, Nsit Atai and Ibesikpo/Asutan.
According to the newspaper, it was when suspected members of the PDP
were accused of electoral materials snatching. It reported that some ad-hoc
staff and corps members were also wounded while trying to run to safety in
Ibiono Ibom Ward 5, where some security men got to polling booths and
carted away ballot boxes while shooting sporadically in the air to scare
voters.
The same thing happened in Ikot Ubo. In Uyo ward 2, PDP agents were
accused of canvassing and inducing people to vote for PDP candidate. The
Punch reported that Utu Ikot Eboro Ward 1 in Etim Ekpo, security agents
(Aduma) and agents of PDP had beaten to pulp a voter suspected to be ACN
supporter, claiming that the area was PDP zone in conformity that no other
party except PDP were allowed to campaign in Annang land; the same thing
that caused the mayhem of March 22. On page 13 of Daily Sun April 27 was
a picture of a Youth Corper cricitcally at Emmanuel Hospital Eket; he was
“beaten up by security agents in Eket for failing to compromise”.
With all this report, it clearly showed that PDP was more desperate in Akwa
Ibom than any other party.
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