THE Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, has recounted his ordeals while in service, as he retires from office.
Igini, while announcing his retirement from the Commission on Friday August 12, 2022, mentioned death threats to his life as one of the many ordeals.
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The former REC, who also once served in Edo State, told journalists at the INEC secretariat, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, that he received many death threats from politicians, who wanted him to bend the rules for them to win elections.
He said he stood his ground, as he was committed to reforming the electoral process, which he recalled was severely battered before the 2019 polls.
“My retirement from service is constitutional, and I will hand over to the Administrative Secretary of INEC in Akwa Ibom State as I leave the state. I thank the media for giving meaning to the ballot through objective reportage.
“INEC in Akwa Ibom State under my watch is very clear on the conduct of elections as directed by INEC at the national level, and we are poised to deal with historical challenges as they concern electoral matters.
“Politicians in Akwa Ibom State are used to rigging, but I said no; that is why the dinosaurs are angry. Some believe that they can buy all the people all the time because of permanent interest, but Mike Igini has vowed that I can’t be bought with money.
“INEC workers in the state will continue to serve the people even at the risk of their lives because they are doing the right thing.
“All elements who acted contrary to the rule of the Electoral Law in 2019, were duly punished, including INEC staff members. INEC has built electoral fireworks in Akwa Ibom State so that the electoral template can be maintained,” he said.
Igini stated that in 2019, he discovered about 23 illegal polling units in the homes of some politicians in the state, adding that his quarrels with politicians started when he ordered that those polling units be relocated to open spaces “where people can vote under a conducive atmosphere.”
A reporter with the ICIR
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