A socio-political group, the One Nigeria Movement (ONM) has advised the Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio to come and test his popularity at the re-run election in Essien Udim rather than hiding behind the cover of a nebulous group, the Forum of APC Aspirants to malign the sterling reputation of the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Mike Igini.
Earlier this week, the so-called group, Forum of APC Aspirants, in a press release riddled with grammatical errors and disjointed grammar, asked for the removal of Mr. Igini as the Resident Electoral commissioner in Akwa Ibom State.
Reacting, the ONM, in a statement on Tuesday, by its Convener General, Ahmed Sodiq-Mugoro, advised Akpabio to come out to test his popularity in the rerun senatorial election instead of hiding behind nebulous groups to push his sinister plot to get Mr. Igini removed as Akwa Ibom State REC just because he choose to do his job without fear or favour.
The group, which decried the “win at all cost attitude of the APC, especially in Akwa Ibom State, said “in civilized world, politicians accept the outcome of free and fair elections like the one Mike Igini conducted in Akwa Ibom and they plan for future elections instaed of seeking to secure electoral victory through dubious means.”
The ONM said from reports available, Mike Igini should even be applauded by well-meaning Nigerians and promoted as a leading light in our country’s quest for credible elections, not vilified as being orchestrated by Akpabio and his ilk.
The statement read; “we read the press release by the APC Aspirants Forum in Akwa Ibom State where they had called for the removal of Mike Igini as the REC.
“It is obvious that the phony group was acting a script written by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio. We may wish to ask the Minister why he is so afraid of Mike Igini? Since he has touted his popularity and how he won over 60,000 votes in Essien Udim, even though the official INEC accredited voters in the area is a little under 20,000 voters.
“If Akpabio is as popular as he claimed, isn’t this the time for him to come out and test his popularity?
“Isn’t this persistent call for the removal of Mike Igini making it so obvious that Akapbio knows that in a free and fair elections which REC Igini is nationally and internationally known to conduct, he (Akpabio) will fail woefully, and that is the reason he wants the REC removed so that the Minister can manipulate the process with a more amendable REC?
“We want to bring to national and international attention, the shenanigans of the Minister and the real reason he wants Igini out. Igini is a man of utmost integrity and honesty and the APC should stop maligning and tarnishing his hard-earned reputation.
“They should ask their candidate, Godswill Akpabio to come out and test his popularity.”
