Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
The Akwa Ibom Democracy Watch (AIDW) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, to redeploy the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Mike Iginni, saying he has demonstrated bias against certain political parties and as such can no longer be an independent arbiter in the General Elections.
AIDW in a statement released in Uyo yesterday, by the General Secretary Kufre Udeme, said the environment and structures being created by Igini for the polls in the state will not guarantee a fair contest for all political parties but one that is pre-arranged to satisfy Igini’s “mentors and masters.”
Udeme said: “To us we are concerned about peaceful, fair credible election in Akwa Ibom. Akwa Ibomites are peace loving people. But we are afraid that if he (Igini) is allowed to conduct the general elections he will throw our state into chaos
“The truth is that beyond his public rhetorics and sanctimonious postures, Igini has been working secretly for his friends who nominated him for the INEC job in 2010.His many media interviews are merely a canopy to delude the public from scrutinizing his underhand dealings.”
The group further alleged that the REC has now openly display bias in his actions and choice of personnel for critical posts of the election process, giving him away as willing tool for Otuoke, who are the people that got him into INEC job in the first place. So we are happy that INEC is considering sending him back to his friends
“We are aware that the INEC Chairman has been saturated by the many wrong doings of Igini in Akwa Ibom and moves by certain interests to forestall his re-deployment but we implore the INEC chair to remain firm.
“ Yakubu should remember that this is his moment in history and never allow himself to be swayed by which is simply redeploying Igini from Akwa Ibom blackmails by doing what is right, ” Udeme concluded.
Igini was first appointed to INEC in 2010 by former President Goodluck Jonathan he was reappointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017.
