The South-south zonal organising secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Blessing Agbomhere, has demanded for the resignation or outright sack of the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Mike Igini, over the role he played in the controversy rocking the APC governorship and senatorial primary elections in the state.
The APC chieftain accused Igini of “biased, partial and reasonably shows the act of a man who is indebted, compromised, and running higgledy-piggledy to appeal to his pay-master.”
The APC Zonal Secretary was reacting to earlier comments made by the Akwa Ibom REC regarding the state governorship and senatorial candidates.
In a statement Agbomhere released to journalists Tuesday in Abuja, he said it was not in the place of Igini to dispute the primary elections that produced the candidates forwarded by the party to the electoral commission.
“My attention has been drawn to the vituperation and grandstanding by the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Mike Igini, regarding the Governorship and Senatorial primary elections for the Akwa Ibom state.
“As far as the APC primary elections in Akwa Ibom states is concerned, the role played by Mike Igini so far is biased, partial and reasonably shows the act of a man who is indebted, compromised, and running higgledy-piggledy to appeal to his pay-master.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), by virtue of its statutory obligation to Nigerians, ought to be a neutral umpire in the electoral process. Parties who participate in primary elections and who are members of a political party, are in the best position to disagree over the outcome of an election, not INEC. It is not in the place of Igini to dispute the primary election, except he is a member of the APC and a contestant in the said primary election.
“Let me further emphasise that it is the duty of the political party to send names of their candidates to INEC and not Igini. If Igini has personal issues with Senator Godswill Akpabio, he should avail himself of a different forum to sort the issues out with him, as we will not allow him to stand as an impediment to the imminent victory of APC in Akwa Ibom and the South-South of Nigeria. And having done what he has done, Igini is no longer fit to be INEC Resident Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State.
“I, therefore, call on Igini to, without further delay, resign his position as Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State. In the event that Igini refuses to resign, I call on the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to sack Igini without hesitation in order to ensure that the political atmosphere in Akwa Ibom State does not degenerate into anarchy and the reputation of INEC is not reduced to that of a mad man, who has no shame or nothing to protec,” Agbomhere stated.
