In Akwa Ibom State, Governor Godswill Akpabio’s plans to pre-determine the gubernatorial and state assembly elections ran into troubled waters on Tuesday as a printer, Mr Emmanuel Edoho, the CEO of Leats Concept Ltd and a PDP stalwart, was arrested by state security operatives in Eket.
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| Governor Godswill Akpabioion |
In Akwa Ibom State, Governor Godswill Akpabio’s plans to pre-determine the gubernatorial and state assembly elections ran into troubled waters on Tuesday as a printer, Mr Emmanuel Edoho, the CEO of Leats Concept Ltd and a PDP stalwart, was arrested by state security operatives in Eket.
The team, acting on a tip off, stormed the printing outfit, which is located at 48 Afaha Uqua Road in the town, and searched the place. It removed the printing plates and some of the printed ballot papers as well as others still under processing. The ballot papers are for the State Assembly and Governorship Elections scheduled for April 26.
Although the proprietor of the press is a PDP stalwart involved with the party’s electioneering campaigns and election duties, it could not be immediately ascertained who had placed printing order for the ballot papers with the printer.
SaharaReporters gathered that the armed SSS team which arrived in the premises in a Peugeot Multipurpose Vehicle and a Toyota Hilux with registration numbers AG 654 UYY and AP 586 UYY respectively, arrested one Etuk Akpan, who was identified as the manager of the printing outfit.
The SSS team also conducted searches on the residence of the proprietor of the printing firm in Eket and took away some exhibits.
Our sources at the SSS state headquarters in Uyo confirmed receiving the report from the Eket Field Office but declined comments, saying they were yet to get a report from the team that undertook the operation.
“We got a report and dispatched a team to the field and we are yet to get a report and feedback from them and it will be premature to make any comments at this time when investigations are at the early stages,” an official said.
SaharaReporters had identified Akwa Ibom, Imo, Benue, Kwara and Delta States as trouble spots where election results underwent manipulation during last week's parliamentary elections. Today INEC officials stated that some of the elections in those states remain inconclusive. They also named Imo, Bayelsa and Delta as states in which 117 ballot boxes were stolen during Saturday’s legislative elections.
saharareporters.com/news-page/pdp-chieftain-arrested-eket-sss-seals-printing-press-alleged-printing-ballot-papers