A chieftain of People Democratic Party (PDP) and Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Prince Ukpong Akpabio, says he aided the police to recover election materials hijacked to the home of an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Essien Udim.
The said materials, according to Akpabio, were meant for six units in Akpautong in the Appeal Court-ordered rerun election in Essien Udim council area.
He said all the hoodlums who carted the election materials were arrested and were being detained at the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo.
Akpabio also alleged that INEC ad-hoc staff, including an Electoral Officer, were caught thumbprinting in the home of the APC chieftain, whose name he declined to mention.
His words “It took the strength of the Nigeria police to recover the stolen materials in the politician’s house. ”
“The Ad-hoc staff, including one of the Electoral Officers assigned to the area, who was abducted with the materials, were forced to thumbprint the ballot papers instead of the voters.
“Those arrested were too many. The police had to call for a prison van to ferry them to the state police headquarters,” he said.
Akpabio, in an earlier interview with newsmen at Ukana ward 2, unit 009, polling unit of the Niger Delta Minister, Sen Godswill Akpabio, had alleged that most voting papers from PDP members were torn by thugs mobilized by the APC.
“These guys in black outfits keep tearing ballot papers once they see anyone vote for PDP. Reports reaching me from other units also have it that APC has been hijacking materials. You can also see the low turnout here, despite the fact that we carried out enough sensitization.”
The Commissioner further alleged that the APC’s purported withdrawal from the election was a plot to get the opposition PDP to relax, to enable them (APC) hijack the process.
Our correspondent reports that two prison vans which ferried some youths in a convoy with heavy security backup drove past the local government collation centre in Essien Udim at about 1 pm of Saturday.
Reacting to the report, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), CSP Nnudam Fredrick told INDEPENDENT at the collation centre in Essien Udim Local Government Area (LGA) that some arrests have been made in connection with electoral malpractices in the area, but could not specifically ascertain whether they were arrested in the home of a politician.
He, however, adjudged the atmosphere to had been generally peaceful.
“Some persons have been arrested in Essien Udim in connection with electoral malpractices, but we cannot say exactly where they were arrested. Investigations are ongoing. I cannot tell you the exact number of persons arrested because I am here with you in the field, but the exercise has been generally peaceful,” he said.
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