from our reporters
30th June 2022. It was a cloudy morning in Uyo with drizzles of rain. But notwithstanding the cold, hundreds of women dressed in black clothes marched the streets with firm faces, chanting and raising placards in a protest. Their message was simple: IGINI MUST GO!
This protest wasn’t the first of its kind in the state. A similarly enthusiastic crowd of men had stormed the state’s INEC headquarters a day before, raising placards bearing the same message. The men sang songs and raised chants. “The corruption must end. We have had enough,” they yelled. To an unknowing bystander, these protests could come off as surprising. Why would indigenes of a state launch an all-out protest against its Resident Electoral Commissioner, demanding his immediate dismissal? The answer lies in the recent controversies surrounding this man.
Biased Partisan?
Scribbled on one of the numerous placards was a bold claim that mustn’t be associated with an electoral umpire: “Mike Igini, You Are a Partisan.” After marching the streets, the women assembled outside the walls of INEC Headquarters in Uyo in a final attempt to drive home their message. Some of the women were quite vocal with our reporters.
“We the women of Akwa Ibom state are aggrieved at the degree of the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner’s partisanship, the extent to which he displays his utter disregard of court orders and stipulated processes contained in the electoral act, and how he sabotages the activities of the INEC chairman. We are greatly consternated by his actions which are obvious attempts to disenfranchise the people of Akwa Ibom state and break peace and order,” said one of the women.
Another woman said, “We wish to remind Mike Igini that we have politically come a long way as a people to know that the duties of an electoral commissioner do not include meddling with internal party affairs, shuttling media houses to promote and declare support for an electoral candidate, and rejecting court orders accepted by INEC headquarters, even while aware that his position as an umpire demands neutrality on his part.”
If the words of these women hold any truth, then Mike Igini appears to be on the wrong side of the law.
INEC plainly states the duties of its Resident Electoral Commissioners on its portal accessible to everyone. Resident Electoral Commissioners are responsible for the supervision of the elections in a State and the Federal Capital Territory. They take delivery of all sensitive and non-sensitive materials from INEC Headquarters and distribute them to all Electoral Officers. They also supervise the recruitment and training of staff for elections. The constitution, therefore, does not accord them the authority to interfere with party elections or ratify candidates.
The Controversies
A remarkable case of Igini’s alleged bias was in the just-concluded primaries. A Federal High Court had earlier ruled to recognise Obong Stephen Ntuekpo as the Chairman of APC in Akwa Ibom, and INEC subsequently released a confirmation letter to that effect, signed June 21, 2022. However, as it later turned out, Mike Igini would act in opposition to INEC and the court’s judgement.
Being the legitimate chairman of APC in Akwa Ibom, Obong Stephen Ntuekpo wrote to INEC, notifying them of the party’s governorship primary that was scheduled to hold at the APC State Secretariat, Number 6 Ekpo Obot Street on May 26, 2022. Igini however ignored this notice and rather went to Sheer Grace Arena instead of the authorised venue for the election.
At Sheer Grace Arena, Igini presumptuously announced the postponement of an election his commission was only authorised to observe. The only body authorised to make such an announcement, if necessary, is the APC National Working Committee (NWC). Igini further displayed more presumptuousness by going around national media to disparage the High Court’s ruling and select candidates for the party, an action outside the confines of his control and in conflict with the law, even ordering his subordinates to do the same.
Another notable event where the INEC REC incited some electoral controversy was during the APC primary for Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.
The APC National Working Committee in a letter dated 7 June 2022, and signed by the National Secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore, ordered that the Senatorial District primary be re-conducted on the 9th of June after the cancellation of the earlier primary due to reports of serious security infractions. Senator Godswill Akpabio went on to win the re-conducted primary with 478 votes after Obong Ekperikpe Ekpo, who won the earlier-cancelled primary, stepped down.
Igini, in a surprising display of bias, darted from one media platform to another to disregard the results of the re-conducted APC Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District primary. In one of his media bouts, Igini repeatedly announced DIG Udom Ekpoudom as the candidate for the Senatorial District from an unrecognised faction.
Numerous reports of Igini’s biased partisanship have circulated the streets of Akwa Ibom and beyond. Many of the residents insist that Barr. Mike Igini affiliates with a sinister faction posing to be a part of APC, led by a certain Austin Ekanem with a hidden motive to undermine the party ahead of the 2023 general election. Others have made bold claims with reasonable receipts proving that Mr. Igini’s actions are his overzealous attempts to gratify his very influential paymasters who are working hard to thwart the promise of free and fair elections in the country.
A Call to Action
The drizzling rain gradually intensified, threatening a full downpour, yet the women lingered outside the office, resilient in the protest. One of the women walked to our reporters with impatience booming on her face, wanting to speak. When she was finally empowered by the mic she launched into a lengthy lamentation.
“In the past few weeks, we have watched Miki Igini run the INEC office in Uyo as a separate INEC office, one that is rebellious towards the laws of the country and INEC. Therefore, we want to bring to the notice of everyone that Mike Igini is lawless and should be dismissed immediately,” she began.
“Mike Igini’s actions are as baffling as they are irritating. Why has Mike Igini chosen to be on the wrong side of the law despite the demands of his position as an electoral officer? Why is he so determined to make sure there is no opposition party in Akwa Ibom state?
We are appealing to the INEC chairman to please end this recurrent nuisance and replace Mike Igini with someone that can work for the people and not his paymasters,” the woman concluded.
For a barrister serving as a Resident Electoral Commissioner, one who is expected to be well-versed with the constitution of the country, these occurrences are unbecoming and sad. Earlier in May, when rumours emerged that Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, would be vying in the upcoming presidential elections, the chairman expediently released a statement to debunk the claims, describing them as a “preposterous proposition”, and reassured Nigerians that the INEC will continue to remain neutral in elections without bias for any party or candidate. It, therefore, goes without saying that Mike Igini’s actions are long overdue for an investigation as the Federal Government carries on its commitment to ensuring free and fair elections in the country.
