Six persons are feared killed during the supplementary elections held in Ikono/Ini and Abak federal constituencies of Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.

A National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) member, serving as Ad-hoc staff, has also reportedly been shot and critically injured.

The Ikono/Ini rerun election is between the incumbent House of Representatives member, Mr. Emmanuel Ukpong Udo of the Young Peoples Party (YPP) ticket and a former Commissioner, Glory Edet, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As of the time of filing this report, Udo was leading Edet by a margin of 4,161 votes.

In the Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, Clement Jimbo, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was leading incumbent lawmaker Aniekan Umanah, by a 2,962 vote’s margin.

The situation led to pockets of violence allegedly by PDP supporters, who reportedly resorted to hijacking ballot materials and random shooting of some resisting officials of INEC and opposition supporters.

It was gathered that out of the 17 units the polls were re-conducted in Ikono/Ini, materials in no fewer than seven units were hijacked by armed security agents, said to be loyal to the ruling PDP, with a Corps member and others, who showed resistance shot in the pandemonium.

A former Local Government Chairman was alleged to have shot an INEC official at Itak Unit 2, for refusing to hand over ballot materials to PDP thugs, after voting.

Goddy Umoh, a former Commissioner and current Chairman of the House of Assembly Service Commission (HASC), who spoke to journalists after voting at his Nnung Udoe Itak, Ward 11, village council hall, had described the election as peaceful.

But it was gathered that violence erupted around the Registration Area Centre (RAC) and other voting units soon after voting, as armed hoodlums backed by security agents seized the ballot materials amid sporadic shooting and injury to dozens of voters and officials.

“The elections started peacefully in the early hours before materials started arriving from 10:00 am from the RAC to the 17 units, but a few minutes after voting, hijacking of polling materials started with heavy shooting.

“The Corps member, who was shot in the leg at Ikot Efre, Itak unit 2, and another at unit 9, along with others have been rushed to the hospital, but we are yet to know how they are faring,” one electoral official attached to the Afaha Obio Enwang primary school, recalled the incident to Journalists.

Fuming over what he described as open cases of intimidation and deliberately orchestrated violence to disrupt the peaceful exercise, Udo, who called for the cancellation of the polls in the affected units, urged his supporters, who thronged his Hotel, Macaire Resort at Ikot Ekpene, to remain calm, while waiting for the final announcement by INEC.

Skirmishes with casualties were also reported in Etim Ekpo LGA Ward 7 at Ibio Nnung Achat community and Etok Uruk Eshiet Ward 3, where thugs disrupted the contest with violence and hijacking of ballot materials after the polls.

From the camp of the YPP House of Representatives member seeking a return under the YPP platform, it was learnt from his close aide that “tension has been defused and calm returned following the declaration by the INEC National Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, that any disputed results should be discountenanced and the outcome declared a nullity.”

On the shooting of the Corps member and others across the seven units of Ikono Ward 11, Mr. Osaro Aisien, INEC official in – charge of Publicity and Voter Education, as well as the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), said full details of the cases were still being expected, assuring that no stone would be left unturned in bringing perpetrators to justice. (The Nation)

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