Since 1999, Nigeria has never had an election at any level that wasn’t disputed. However, the October 5, 2024, local government election in Akwa Ibom State demonstrates that Nigeria is practicing a “manipulated democracy,” considering how politicians blatantly violate the tenets and ideals of true democracy.
Although the incidences of violence were not as pronounced as they might have been during a governorship election, this can be attributed to one fact: Akwa Ibom is a PDP state. The political outcome orchestrated by the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKSIEC) was not only extraordinary but has been described as a blatant robbery of modern democracy.
Those familiar with Nigeria’s political process were not surprised, as it was already clear which party would dominate the council areas—even if Governor Pastor Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had gone on a leave to Jerusalem.
In case you missed it, here’s what happened after the October 5, 2024, council elections in Akwa Ibom’s 31 Local Government Areas (LGAs):
The ruling party in the state—PDP—won in all 31 council areas, including Essien Udim, the LGA of Nigeria’s 15th Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
When announcing the results, the returning officer for the Essien Udim council area, Professor Inyang Ating, read from the results sheet that the PDP candidate, Enobong Patrick Friday, had 55,612 votes, while his closest rival, Usoro Ntiedo of the All Progressive Congress (APC), garnered 686 votes. Consequently, the returning officer declared the PDP candidate the winner.
AKISIEC Chairman Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak, however, publicly denied ever appointing Professor Ating as the returning officer, ridiculing the academic in the public domain. This reflects how politicians have turned scholars into pawns—a topic for another article.
Ordinarily, the PDP candidate and his supporters would have stormed a local bar or club to celebrate, but their festivities were cut short.
The state governor, Pastor Umo Uno, reportedly invited AKISIEC Chairman Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak immediately after the results were announced. The details of their meeting were not made public.
Nonetheless, AKISIEC swiftly intervened, retracting the results announced by Professor Ating and postponing the final declaration in Essien Udim until the following day.
To assert his authority, Elder Ikoiwak claimed that AKISIEC’s “anointed” returning officer was Professor Uduak Okon. People were on edge. Those with transistor radios stayed glued to them, awaiting updates.
On Sunday, October 6, 2024, Elder Ikoiwak boldly declared the APC candidate, who had initially received 686 votes, the winner over PDP’s Enobong Patrick Friday, who had previously been reported as having secured 55,612 votes.
But the surprises didn’t stop there. The AKISIEC Chairman further justified his actions by announcing a new set of results, awarding 51,751 votes to the APC and 22,799 votes to the PDP.
Isn’t that a political miracle?
This didn’t shock many. Nigeria has seen several instances where individuals who didn’t win primary elections are presented as candidates, such as Senator Ahmad Lawan, who replaced Bashir Machina, the original winner of the Yobe North Senatorial District primary election in 2022. Often, the original winners are compensated monetarily to withdraw their political ambitions.
A similar situation occurred in Essien Udim. Enobong Patrick Friday was reportedly compensated with a political appointment by the state governor, Pastor Umo Uno. Not just that, he was also ‘forced’, out of will, to congratulate the person he beat at the polls.
This raises many unanswered questions:
If the PDP won in all the other council areas, why single out Essien Udim LGA for the APC as an ‘honor’ for Senator Akpabio?
Should a ‘rigged’ process be an honour for the No. 3 man in the country?
For the record, Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District comprises 10 council areas: Essien Udim, Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene, Ukanafun, Oruk Anam, Abak, Ikono, Etim Ekpo, Ika, and Ini. Since 1999, no APC candidate has ever won the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District election, except for the highly disputed 2023 election.
Is it mandatory for the Senate President to win in his local government, or is it taboo for a rival party to win in the Senate President’s council area?
Would the PDP’s victory in Essien Udim call into question how Senator Akpabio of the APC won the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District Election in 2023?
The political arrangement of thwarting the will of the people is dangerous for democracy. It further exposes the rot in Nigeria’s political process.
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