The Independent National Electoral Commissioner
(INEC) in Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday officially released the Akwa Ibom North
West (Ikot Ekpene) senatorial result four days after the conduct of the presidential
and National Assembly elections in the area.
Following tension that had mounted in the senatorial
district, the announcement of the result was moved from the senatorial
collation centre in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area to the state headquarters
of the INEC along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, the state capital.
The returning officer for last Saturday's election
in the district, Professor Peter Ikor Ogbang, declared the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) candidate, Christopher Ekpenyong, winner.
The announcement of the result has brought to an
end the uncertainty and apprehension that had developed in the district over
the out-come of the election. Tight security was provided at the INEC office
before the result was released.
From the result released, Ekpenyong, a former
deputy governor of the state, polled a total of 118, 215 votes to beat the
incumbent senator, Godswill Akpabio, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who
scored 83,158 votes.
Ogban said the total registered votes for Akwa Ibom
Northwest senatorial district was 655,525, total accredited votes was 218,493
while the total number of valid votes cast was 202,387 while votes rejected was
7,307.
He said the PDP candidate, having satisfied the
requirement and scored the highest number of vote cast, is declared the winner.
The PDP agent for the senatorial district election,
Dr. Ani Asikpo, said he was satisfied with the outcome of the election, and
that it is the true reflection of the wishes of people of the area.
He maintained that the announcement of the result
was moved to Uyo because of security threat, “as nobody blood is worth the
ambition of any politician.”
Asikpo stated that the result indicated that the
people of the Ikot Ekpene senatorial district vehemently accepted the
representation of PDP candidate in the Senate and strongly rejected further
representation of the incumbent senator, Akpabio.
The returning officer for Ikot Ekpene/Obot
Akara/Essien federal constituency, Dr. Daniel Udoh, similarly declared Ekong
Nsikan Okon of the PDP winner of the election for the federal constituency,
having scored the highest vote of 29,849 against the 22, 052 votes scored by
the incumbent Emmanuel Akpan.
The PDP also
won all the three senatorial and 10 federal House of Representative seats in
the elections.
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