Governorahip candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Akwa Ibom, Umana Okon Umana has restated his position on the April 11 gubernatorial election in the state.
Umana in an interview with DAILY POST on Wednesday in Lagos insisted that there was no election in Akwa Ibom.
“Again, I wish to tell the world that election did not take place in Akwa Ibom on April 11. What we had was enthronement of the candidate imposed by ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio,” he said.
“Take for instance in a state like Lagos, results were announced as they trickled from units. That way, the winner and the loser gradually knew what to expect at the end of the day.
“But in our case, people were intimidated. In cases where it looked like election would be conducted, security agencies fired tear gas claiming some persons were unruly. This happened in a unit where an 82-year-old woman was also waiting to exercise her right.
“She and others were not only disenfranchised, a case of human rights abuse could also be established. So, what went down and what we witnessed in Akwa Ibom is far from cheering”, he added.
Asked how far he is willing to contest the outcome of the election which was won by Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Umana said “all legal processes are being and will be explored.
“Our team of forensic experts are already proving that the election under contest was perhaps the highest form of rigging in any state.
“And at this point, let me say that rigging is crime against humanity and the mastermind of this act in Akwa Ibom, no other person than Mr. Akpabio, who is now a Senator claiming to represent those he has been muzzling over the years.
“All you need to do is go to Akwa Ibom, meet those who have been victims of his power-drunken attitude, meet those who equally believe an individual was simply installed in the Government House, then you know what I’m saying.”
On reports that Akwa Ibom government was planning to sell the jet purchased by Akpabio, Umana said the development may be to return the aircraft to the ex-Governor.
“I urge the media to keep tab on what will happen. Watch out for those that will bid for the jet directly or by proxy. But I believe that the jet is going back to the ex-Governor”.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ekerete Udo, in a telephone chat with DAILY POST, had stated that there was no iota of truth in the speculation.
“We are not in the business of responding to innuendos and manufactured lies and answering people trading layers of lies in order to get wings to fly. We are in the business of providing service to the good people of Akwa Ibom State and impacting lives. We are impacting lives by continuing with the developmental strides that have been witnessed in the past eight years. We want to continue on this path of sustainable development”, Udo said.
When asked if his position was that the reported imminent sale of the jet was false, Udo replied: “I have just answered your question; I said we will not dignify manufactured lies”.
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