The All Progressives Congress candidate in the Akwa Ibom State governorship election, Umana O. Umama, has said that the victory of his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Mr. Udom Emmanuel in the April 11 poll was a coup against the people of the state.
Mr. Emmanuel was declared winner of Saturday’s guber election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after securing the highest number of votes in two-thirds of the local government areas of Akwa Ibom.
According to INEC, Emmanuel scored 996,071 votes as against Umana’s 89,865.
Speaking with The PUNCH via a telephone interview, Umana said the APC would challenge Emmanuel’s victory in a competent court of law.
The APC flag bearer expressed worry that despite the widespread hijack of voting materials across the 31 local government areas and non-collation of results at the local government areas, INEC still went ahead to announce the result.
“The declaration of Udom Emmanuel as the winner is a coup against the people of Akwa Ibom State. So we will take the necessary steps to seek justice in the court of law for the people of Akwa Ibom.
“You are a journalist in Akwa Ibom State. You know we did not have an election. Electoral materials were hijacked everywhere and there were widespread violence.
“Above all, through out yesterday (Saturday), did you see collation taking place anywhere? At the local government level, there was no collation.
“So where are the results coming from? Are they from the houses of the people or from the Government House? It is a travesty of justice. It is a crime against the people of the state. We will seek justice”, he said.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate