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The gubernatorial
candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Akwa Ibom
state, Larry Esin, has rejected the victory of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) candidate, Godswill Akpabio, describing it as a sham.

He also faulted the
decision of some political parties in the state to congratulate Mr
Akpabio on his victory in an election he said full of illegalities.

Speaking yesterday
in Uyo, Mr Esin explained that to accept the state’s gubernatorial
election which was riddled with irregularities was to entrench
criminality into the country’s polity.

“To accept the
results of April 26th election is to applaud illegality and entrench
criminal behavior into our politics, this will not serve either side
well,” he said. “There was no election in Akwa Ibom State, and there is
overwhelming evidence to prove this. The Akwa Ibom people were denied
their right under the constitution to choose their leaders and
government. This is a grave violation of our fundamental human rights.”

Mr Esin said there
was evidence to prove that the governorship election in the state was a
fiasco and that the election was a ridicule of the political integrity
of the state and country.

The opposition
politician, who said the endorsement of the election was a sham,
described the action as akin to dining with someone whom you had caught
stealing your precious jewelry.

While urging his
supporters to remain calm and not take the law into their hands, Mr
Esin maintained that any democracy built on a weak platform would
degenerate into chaos, anarchy, corruption and deprivation.

“Cases of ballot
box snatching, intimidation, killing, and the use of underage voters
were not only commonplace in the elections, but evidence of the
violation of the universal adult suffrage,” he said, saying results
obtained from such method should be nullified.

The director of the
media and publicity committee of the Akpanudoedehe Positive Change
Campaign Organisation, Thomas Akpan, also said their lawyers were
collating all available facts for presentation at the tribunal which
would commence sitting in the state on Wednesday.

Mr Akpan, who said he believed in the judicial system, said his group would not relent in getting back their mandate.

“We cannot allow
that kind of robbery to go unchallenged. It’s a stolen mandate. We will
get it from him in the court. We cannot allow our mandate to lie there.
We are going to challenge it in court. We’ll take back our mandate
because Akpabio is not going to have it in peace,” he said.

Opposition noise-making

However, the state
commissioner for information and social re-orientation, Aniekan Umana
has insisted that the position of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
and the CPC was “noise-making” devised to heighten political tension in
the state.

“It is about
noise-making. They know the due process, not even the noise and
post-election riot in the north could stop Jonathan from being elected
president of the country,” he said. “In Akwa Ibom State, Godswill
Akpabio clearly won. So, no matter the amount of noise-making. When
Babatunde Fashola won in Lagos State, the Peoples Democratic Party
honoured itself gallantly when Ade Dosunmu congratulated Fashola. What
then is the noise here about?”

Mr Umana advised losing candidates to follow the path of honour and congratulate the governor on his victory in the polls.

“They think Akwa Ibom is where they will come and seek financial
benefits where they did not sow. That is not the case,” he said. “Akwa
Ibom is for the Akwa Ibom people and will be developed for Akwa Ibom
clan. That is what Akpabio is championing, the true development of the
state, not an attempt to sell out the state in whatever interest in the
name of selfish political scheme.”