…as fake BVAS allegedly flood polling units in Yala LGA
…I can’t speak on the matter – CP Shettima
By Anthony Uwadiegwu
A University Don, Mr Gabriel Agabi Akwaji has been arrested by the Police Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Ogoja Command, for impersonating as a Returning Officer in Yache Ward, Yala Local government in the on-going Presidential and National Assembly elections in Cross River State.
Akwaji, The Paradise gathered, did not only impersonate but also collated results using fake BVAS with a view to mislead INEC with results allegedly generated from other locations different from the polling units in Yache Ward because the BVAS used were reportedly not the ones provided by INEC from Calabar.
The Paradise further gathered that Akwaji who impersonated the original Returning Officer of the Ward, Dr Dominic Abakedi of the Department of Philosophy, University of Calabar, and did not come back with the result of the Ward until 2:00pm on Sunday which raised suspicion.
Findings showed that one of the alleged fake BVAS used is with serial No: 09/18/10/012 and 216 voters were accredited while 250 votes were cast.
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However, the fake Returning Officer who is now in police custody collated results from the 33 polling Units of the Ward which he presented, having been allegedly driven into the Okpoma Collation Center by a Chieftain of the Ruling Party.
The Paradise also gathered that he was arrested when he (Akwaji) came to present the purported fake result which showed that APC garnered over 5,000 votes in Yache Ward to INEC Collation centre located at Ogoja, Northern Senatorial District of Cross River state.
Further findings showed that some APC stalwarts in Yache Ward allegedly arrested and locked up all Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, agents in the area who were supposed to participate in the conduct of the exercise in order to carry out their nefarious acts while mandating the fake Adhoc Returning Officer, Mr Gabriel Agabi to replace Dr Dominic Abakedi who was originally posted to the ward by INEC.
Moreso, investigations revealed that efforts were made by the Electoral Officer in charge of Yala LGA to reach Dr Dominic Abakedi but her efforts were futile as his phone was unreachable.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in charge of elections in the Northern Senatorial District, Zannah Shettima, declined comment on the matter.
“I don’t have the details and so I can’t speak on the matter,” he said.
