The All Progressives Congress APC in the South South has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, demanding the dismissal of its Akwa Ibom state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, within 48 hours.
The petition which was received on July 3 by the office of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was signed by APC Zonal Organizing Secretary, South-South, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere.
Barr. Igini on his part recounted his track records of public service especially at INEC, saying it is unfortunate that PDP elements who accused him of working for the then opposition are today in APC and now accusing him of working for the PDP.
The letter addressed to the chairman of the commission accused Mr. Igini of “incessant act of bias, injustice, sabotage and malevolence meted out on the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom state.”
According to Agbomhere, Mr. Mike Igini had over the years, since his deployment sabotaged and worked obviously against the All Progressives Congress in the State even when he is not supposed to be partisan or supportive of any political divide or party by virtue of his position and membership of INEC which is an unbiased, incorruptible and impartial umpire in every electoral process.
Agbomhere told the INEC chairman that a violation of the provision of Section 26 of the Electoral Act of 2022 is not without its consequences and same are rightly captured in Section 120 of the Act.
“From the foregoing facts we have just made available to you, Mr. Chairman, there will be no gainsaying that Mr. Mike Igini, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, has been compromised, shown partisanship and regrettably so, abused his office as an INEC official hence we make the following prayers to you;
“That, Mr. Mike Igini is not fit and proper to remain as the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner of the State. This is because a free and fair election begins with a free and fair process. Hence Mr. Igini has compromised, he therefore lacks the capacity to conduct or supervise any election in the state.
“That, Mr. Mike Igini be sacked and dismissed within 48 hours from the time of receipt of this petition.
“That, Mr. Mike Igini be committed to the relevant authorities for prosecution for the violation of Section 26 of the Electoral Act of 2022.
“May I remind you, Mr. Chairman, that the integrity of the Commission is greatly at stake here as this issue has generated not just statewide protests but also nationwide concerns by both members of our party and the generality of Akwa Ibomites and Nigerians. We believe that Mike Igini is not the only INEC REC in Nigeria hence his position should not bring disrepute of any sort to the Commission neither should same be used as an oppressive tool against the All Progressives Congress or any other political party.
“Finally, Mr. Chairman, we will be more than willing to approach the Code of Conduct Tribunal against Mr. Mike Igini and also approach the Federal High Court to obtain an Order of Mandamus to compel the Commission in any event where our prayers and demands are not met within the time given”.
While Justifying while Igini should be sacked, Agbomhere said; “In 2019, Mr. Mike Igini acted in gross violation of the Electoral Act by sabotaging the Senatorial Elections of His Excellency, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio. He did this, by maliciously supervising the cancellation of the votes of the Distinguished Senator all in his bid to ensure his loss of the election”.
Igini reacts
In his reaction, Igini said; “The petitioner was in the PDP. The first place I worked was Cross River and I witnessed the arrogance of power of the then ruling PDP in 2911. They didn’t conduct their primaries when they said they did and the electoral officers wrote their report which I endorsed and on which basis, Prof Jega, then INEC Chairman acted on. They protested and President Jonathan told them to keep quiet that he brought Jega to sanitize the system. The CPC which was then the party of now President Buhari won an election and Tinubu’s ACN also won Obubra. Blessing was in the PDP then and rget accused me of being a member of the ACN.
“In 2015 when I was deployed to Edo, the arrogance of power was also on display by some PDP elements except for respectable personalities like Chief Orbih and a few others. This Blessing, from Edo, was a PDP member and they were the ones who said they were going to use federal might. I told them the hallmark of democracy will be a peaceful transfer of power and that there will be no federal might. Edo was the only state in the South South where Buhari scored more than the required 25percent. He had 46 percent. APC got one senatorial seat and four out of nine federal seats and also controlled the state assembly. That is my record of absolute neutrality.
“All the characters you are seeing the APC today accusing me, were in the PDP and they went after us the sane arrogance is what they are displaying today because they carried that mentality to APC. Unfortunately, Nigeria is a country where there is no book of remembrance we cannot have a democracy without democrats. Where was this Blessing when gunmen invaded my house in Benin because I stood against the purported federal might? That same individual is now in the ruling party. I did same in 2014 in Osun. I did same thing in Anambra and in Imo when there was crisis and I was sent to intervene.
“In respect of Akwa Ibom, the former senator who is behind all these, all the period Buhari contested election, he never got 10 percent in this state. It was only when Mike Igini came the people’s votes began to count. Then they said I was brought here to dislodge the PDP. They have their internal problems. They have three factions. That is the foundational problem and nor Mike Igini. You can buy some people all of the time but you cannot buy all the people all of the time.
“My records do not suggest anything they have said. Dishonest people are all over the place walking like colossus because we are in a country where our value pyramid is upside down.
“My only response is my record. All the people who are talking now were all members of the PDP”.
