Group raises alarm over possible post-election violence in A’Ibom

A pressure group, Akwa Ibom Liberation Movement has raised alarm that there are indicators that there may be post-election violence in the state.

The just concluded governorship and state house of assembly elections in Akwa Ibom state has been adjudged generally peaceful despite pockets of violence in parts of the state.

The leader of the group, Prince Emmanuel Sam, during a media briefing in Uyo on Saturday evening said intelligence gathered by the movement shows that agents of the opposition party were planning to cause trouble.

In his words, “the Governorship and State Assembly elections have been so peaceful in the state, except some few spots where there are crises.
“In the whole, we can conclude that elections in Akwa Ibom State have been peaceful. We commend the security agents for providing necessary protection for citizens of the state to cast their votes”.

“Reports from our field workers show that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has won in almost all the local government areas, but as an impartial body, our concern is not who is leading in the elections, but the pending crisis that is about to envelop the state”.

“We have gathered from our field workers that that leaders of the opposition party in connivance with some security agents, have moved into various local government collation centres across the state to disrupt collation of results from all the units and wards”.

“Let it be known to security agents currently in Akwa Ibom State, that the people have spoken through their votes, as such, they should not assist individual or group of individuals to subvert the will of the masses”, he admonished.

Sam further alleged that thugs were planning to burn down Local government offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as a way of halting announcement of results.

He appealed to the INEC REC, Mr. Mike Igini, to keep to his words by announcing only the results published in various polling units of the state.