The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cancelled the result of the governorship election in nine out of 11 wards in Essien Udim Local Government Area Area, where a former governor, Godswill Akpabio comes from.

Mr Akpabio’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), however, still won the election in the area, despite the cancellation.

Mr Akpabio is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West District. He failed to secure re-election for a second term in the recent general election despite defecting to the ruling party months ahead of polls.

The collation officer for Essien Udim Local Government Area, Nsikan Esenam, while presenting the result of the governorship election in the area, said voting in Mr Akpabio’s ward, Ukana West Ward 2, and other wards in the area were marred by violence, hijacking of ballot boxes, and kidnap of election officials.

Mr Esenam said election officials at the local government area, at some point, ”had to choose between their lives and signing doctored result sheets”.

The APC scored 6,938 votes from the two collated wards to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which had 2,161 votes.

INEC said 9, 286 voters, out of 23, 060 registered voters, were accredited to vote in the two wards.

The total valid votes was 9, 171, the commission said.

In the result released before now at Mr Akpabio’s polling unit, Unit 9, Ukana West Ward 2, the APC scored 1, 597 votes in the governorship election, while PDP had zero vote.

Irate APC

Meanwhile, the APC has rejected the result in Essien Udim as announced by INEC.

The party, which spoke through its representative, Samuel Akpan, who was present at the state collation centre, accused INEC in the state of “abetting the robbery and destruction of the electoral process” in the state.

Mr Akpan said the “authentic result” from Essien Udim ”was put aside and kept somewhere in INEC office in Uyo, while a fake one was brought out and announced to the public”.

“Mr Danladi is believed to enjoy the support of the presidency in the election.”