By Egufe Yafugborhi & Chioma Onuegbu

Tension is escalating in Akwa Ibom State following conflicting results announced by the State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) regarding the chairmanship seat in the Essien Udim Local Government Area (LGA), the home constituency of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Inyang Ating, a professor from the University of Uyo who served as the Returning Officer (RO) for Essien Udim LGA, initially declared Enobong Patrick Friday of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the winner during the results announcement on Saturday, highlighting a landslide victory for the candidate.

However, in a surprising twist, statewide results released on Sunday by Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak, the Chairman of AKISIEC, declared Ntiedo Usoro of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the elected candidate for Essien Udim LGA, while the PDP reportedly won all other 31 LGAs in the state.

While the AKISIEC results did not disclose the specific vote counts for each candidate, the earlier declaration by the RO indicated that PDP’s Enobong Patrick Friday secured a staggering 55,612 votes, defeating his closest rival, APC’s Ntiedo Usoro, who garnered only 686 votes.

Prof. Ating stated in his official results declaration: “I hereby certify that I was the Returning Officer for the election held on the 5th of October 2024. The election was contested, and the candidates received the following votes:

Hon. Ntiedo Usoro of the APC: 686 votes

Engr. Enobong Patrick Friday of the PDP: 55,612 votes

“Engr. Enobong Patrick Friday, having complied with the requirements of the law and having scored the majority of votes, is hereby declared elected. He also received more than 25% of the votes in all 13 wards of Essien Udim. I so declare and I hereby sign as the Returning Officer.”

As of this report, the AKISIEC Chairman, who was at the electoral body’s headquarters in Uyo presenting Certificates of Return to the newly elected chairmen, avoided addressing the conflicting results for Essien Udim LGA.

This situation has ignited outrage among PDP leaders in Akwa Ibom, who accuse Governor Umo Eno of betraying the party and his predecessor, Emmanuel Udom, in favor of fostering a closer relationship with Senate President Akpabio.

A PDP chieftain expressed frustration to Vanguard, stating, “Governor Eno has taken his suspicious romance with Akpabio and the APC too far. He was confronted over his willingness to concede to Akpabio ahead of the local government polls. He claimed their relationship was based on mutual respect and would not impact the election. Look at the results today. They didn’t even cover their tracks well. An election was conducted, and a professor declared the PDP winner. Then AKISIEC overrides the field report and lists the APC as the winner.”

The chieftain added, “Governor Eno needs to explain how this happened to the PDP. He is already seen as having betrayed Udom, who made enemies, including Akpabio, to help him become governor. If he needed to negotiate with Tinubu, Akpabio, and the APC, he should have given them his own local government and not sell out Essien Udim. This is just the beginning. Eno is jeopardizing his chances for a second term.”