Despite recording victories in Saturday’s by-elections in Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, and the Akpabuyo State Constituency in Cross River State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), respectively have rejected the outcomes of the particular election they lost after the announcement of final results.
While the APC won the Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency election, the PDP won Akpabuyo State Constituency election.
But both parties have rejected the results where they lost, threatening to go to the tribunal to seek an upturn of the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
In a press release entitled, ” We will reclaim our mandate”, issued yesterday by the APC state publicity secretary, Mr. Erasmus Ekpang, the party said: “After a detailed review of the Akpabuyo State Constituency election discovered the mind boggling malpractice and electoral fraud perpetuated by the PDP.
“The party rejects in its entirety the outcome of the February 26th, 2022 Akpabuyo State Constituency election.”
The APC said further that the result as declared by INEC was not a true reflection of the actual voting.
“The APC will not allow declaration of the PDP Candidate as winner of the election to stand.
“Brazen manipulation and distortion of figures by the PDP characterised the election and we are primed to use legal means to correct this anomaly.
“Our great party will therefore be heading to the tribunal to reclaim the mandate clearly and freely given to our Candidate, Bassey Ekpo,” the APC spokesman said.
The APC said it was grateful to the people of Akpabuyo State Constituency for overwhelmingly voting the APC during the election.
It urged its supporters and members in the Constituency to remain calm while it explores legal means to retrieve our mandate.
In rejecting the result for Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Venatius Ikem, who addressed a press conference in Calabar, said the party will challenge the victory of the APC and its candidate Mr. Jude Ngaji at the election petitions tribunal.
The PDP alleged that “the by-election was characterised by massive irregularities including violence orchestrated by the APC led government and her officials who snatched ballot boxes and other election materials at will at gun point and manipulated the results to their advantage.”
Among others, the PDP tasked INEC to investigate one of her staff whom they allege interfered with the BVAS.
The PDP asked the INEC never to post Mr. Festus Okoye again to the state for the purpose of election, and also called on the electoral body to investigate the role he allegedly played in the defeat of the PDP and its candidate Mr. Mike Usibe.
“Most importantly, We demand that INEC should produce all BVAS machines used for the election to ascertain if the accreditation recorded in the machines corresponds with the number of votes declared by the Returning officer in the February 26 by-election,” Ikem said.
