Deputy chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Cross River State chapter, Prince Eka Williams, has threatened to institute legal action against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Mr Samuel Neji Abang who was declared winner of the House of Assembly seat for Ikom 1 state constituency in the just concluded March 18, Assembly polls.
Williams issued the threat while reacting to the result of House of Assembly elections for Ikom 1 state constituency, yesterday, in a telephone conversation. The APC state deputy chairman described the marginal victory of the Peoples Democratic Party for Ikom state constituency as a “pyrrhic victory” that cannot withstand legal scrutiny. Williams alleged that massive irregularities took place in the two wards of Ofutop and some polling units in Ikom Urban that led to the elector[1]al umpire erroneously declaring the candidate of the PDP as winner of the election. The party chairman recounted how his efforts, together with former senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba led to the massive victory of the APC in Akparabong Ward.
“We were able to dismantle Prof Sandy Onor’s and PDP’s rigging machinery led by two PDP chieftains in the ward. “They compromised INEC officials and attempted to hide electoral materials but we caught them and insisted that the elections must be held in accordance with the rules and we defeated them roundly in Akparabong Ward,” he alleged. Williams accused the opposition PDP of massively rigging in Ofutop 1 and 2, compromising the election in parts of Urban ward. He threatened that the paltry 35 votes which the PDP managed to defraud the system in the House of Assembly elections in the March 18 poll would certainly be overturned by the time the APC instituted a legal action against the PDP.
“We ‘ll meet them in court to challenge this victory. It cannot stand. Comrade Agbor Bassey of the APC whose man[1]date was stolen will reclaim his mandate in court,” he said. Reacting to the issue, PDP candidate and winner of the House of Assembly election, Mr Samuel Neji Abang denied the allegations stressing that he won’t make allegations without any rigging. “The APC deputy chair[1]man’s claims are baseless, spoken out of malice and lies,” Abang stated
