OKORI VS AKPABIO: Plot to undermine reordered inspection fails

Attempts by the immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr Uwemedimo Nwoko to frustrate the reordered inspection of the over 450000 ballot papers used in declaring former Governor Godswill Akpabio as winner of the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial election on Monday was vehemently resisted by APC agents who were sorting the ballot papers at INEC office in Uyo.

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal had last Thursday ordered a 5 day extension to allow the petitioner, Chief Inibehe Okori of the APC to inspect the ballot papers used in the election.

The petitioner had prayed the court for an order seeking an extension of time to carry out inspection and forensic analysis of election materials used in the March 28th,2015 Senatorial elections. The petitioner had told the tribunal that efforts to carry out the earlier order for inspection granted on May 8th was frustrated by agents of the 1st respondent as well as officials of the electoral body which made it impossible for a successful inspection to be concluded within the 10 day period earlier granted by the tribunal.

Trouble started when Nwoko arrived the conference hall of the INEC office in Uyo and stopped the counting of ballot papers used in Essien Udim LGA  which had begun about half an hour earlier insisting that the previously sorted out ballot papers from Ukanafun LGA must be scanned before any other thing can be done. 

Sensing that he was acting a script to undermine the inspection the second time, agents of the petitioner objected to his order, asking why he should give such order when the State Government he claimed he was representing is not a party to the case. It took the intervention of officers of the Department of State Security present to calm tempers and restore normalcy to the place and for counting to continue.