The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decried the absence of results sheets across the 54 wards that make up the five Local Government Areas of Cross River North in the ongoing council elections in the state. Mr Austin Edibe, the PDP Vice Chairman for the northern senatorial district, said this on Saturday while fielding questions from newsmen in Ogoja.
He alleged that the ongoing council poll was a sham and programmed to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.
“This whole exercise was programmed in favour of the APC from the word go but we were willing to take the risk with the hope that their conscience will appeal to them.
“As I speak with you, there is no resume sheets provided for the whole Ogoja, Yala, Obanliku, Obudu and Bekwarra council areas. That is the report I am getting from the field.
“Ordinarily, we are supposed to have result sheets at all the collation centers and at the ward level chapters, but unfortunately that is the position of things as we speak.
“Our supporters were prepared to come out en masse for the elections today but they don’t see the reason for it again since their votes won’t count,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the exercise is yet to start across Cross River North and Central as at the time of filing this report, as there was no presence of electoral offices in the polling units. There was also absence of security personnel in most of the polling units for the poll scheduled to start at 8 am.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Bassey Ewa, says: “I am at my Atakpa polling unit in Ekoru Ward and there is nothing on ground here for the election.”
Ewa Represented Yakurr/Abo Federal constituency in the 9th Assembly and was a former speaker of Cross River House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, the state electoral umpire has debunked the allegation and said materials were well distributed across the 18 LGAs of the state for today’s (Saturday) poll.
A commissioner in the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr Daniel Edet, said the commission had worked hard to ensure seamless process for the elections (NAN)
