…Set To Appeal

By Patrick Titus, Uyo

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship’s aspirant in last Saturday’s primaries of the party in Akwa Ibom State, Mfon Udeme Peter has rejected the outcome of the poll, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement during the exercise.

The results of the governorship primaries as declared in Uyo on Sunday evening by the chairman of ADC primary election in the state, Mr. Titus Ejoor, returned Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe the winner with 66,099 votes ahead of Mfon Udeme Peter, who scored 103 votes during the exercise conducted through direct primary.

However, in his reaction during a chat with journalists after the announcement, Peter alleged widespread voter disenfranchisement, manipulation, and serious electoral malpractices during the exercise, opposing that the results announced by Ejoor, were “concocted” and did not reflect the will of party members.

“Sincerely, I reject that result in its entirety. That result is completely false, and I reject it with all that I have. It is completely concocted,” he stated.

Peter, a Lawyer and one of the two contenders for the ADC governorship ticket alongside Senator Akpanudoedehe, a former governorship’s candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in 2023 general elections, maintained that he was completely excluded from the exercise.

“I was with the ADC primary election committee at 6 PM on Friday. By 7 PM, they told me they were in my ward. I arrived at my ward in Ibiono Ibom and saw them. At what time were they able to conduct elections in the 349 wards in Akwa Ibom State and in 31 local government areas,” he said.

Barr Peter alleged that a large number of party members were denied the opportunity to vote, insisting that such practices contradicted the guidelines of the ADC.

“Apart from the fact that elections were not conducted in more than 20 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State, they rescheduled the election for Saturday, May 23, without informing me or my supporters, who were out in the field waiting for them throughout Friday.

“Then on Saturday, they said the election was ongoing. Who were the voters? Who communicated to the voters that the election was ongoing, or that the election that was slated for Friday was to take place again on Saturday?

“I ought to have known that the election would also hold on Saturday. I wasn’t in the field, my supporters were not in the field, but the election results were published. That is why I reject the results. None of my agents signed those result sheets because I was completely excluded.”

“My opponent, all he did was carry the election committee members along, driving them from one place to another to ensure that they did what they did to secure that kind of false victory. But it won’t stand.”

Peter further accused the party officials of undermining the integrity of the exercise through what he described as coordinated irregularities capable of damaging the credibility of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“There was no election in Oron and in the entire Eket senatorial district. Apart from Ibiono Ibom, where they came and I was on the ground, and maybe in Uyo; those people were not able to cover Nsit Ibom, Uruan, Ibesikpo Asutan, and other areas that same day.

“The party guidelines state that accreditation starts at 8 AM and ends at 12 noon. From 12 noon, the election starts and ends by 2 PM. Ask him (Akpanudoedehe), when did the election commence?

“I was excluded from nominating the three persons who were supposed to join the committee from my end to also see what was going on there. The committee knew this, but they overlooked it and went ahead to conduct the election with the mindset of returning my opponent, just as they have done, giving him victory without following the proper procedures. It means that, from day one, ab initio, the election was fraudulent. And it cannot stand.”

Peter stated that he has already submitted a petition before the governorship election Appeal Committee of the party and called on the leadership of the ADC to urgently address the alleged irregularities.

“I know that the Appeal Committee, when they look at the facts and evidence before them, will have no other option but to nullify the election so that we can go back to the polls. If they fail to do so, I will seriously litigate this process.”

Meanwhile, Barr Peter has promised to reposition Akwa Ibom State to become a prosperous state in the country, positing that Akwa Ibom State is blessed with natural resources many of which have remained effectively untapped.

He added besides oil and gas, Akwa Ibom has agricultural potentials, which he promised to bring in the right people with right technology to invest in for local consumption and export if elected to office as the governor in 2027 general polls.

He also promised to run an inclusive state administration with the youth, women and children getting serious attention.