The PDP in Akwa Ibom State has denied allegations by the APC that it has plans to tamper with evidences at the election petitions tribunal.
The APC had alleged that Gov. Udom Emmanuel of the PDP and INEC were making plans to tamper with the exhibits and documented evidence presented by the PDP in court.
In a statement, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Nkereuwem Enyongekere, said in anticipation of this development, the party had sought for a transfer of the tribunal to Abuja but that the request was opposed by the PDP.
Enyongekere called on security agencies to prevent the execution of the plans and warned staff of the tribunal’s secretariat not to give into any financial inducement to perpetrate the alleged plans.
He said, “We have received credible intelligence and classified information that the PDP and other respondents in the ongoing governorship election petition trial are making desperate attempts to tamper with the avalanche of the exhibits and documented evidence tendered by our great party, the APC, and its governorship candidate, Mr. Nsima Ekere, at the tribunal.
“The PDP and Gov. Udom Emmanuel, we understand, have been embarrassed and flummoxed by these exhibits which show clearly what we have been saying even before the elections: that the PDP and INEC were working together to perpetrate one of the worst electoral frauds in the state.
“Our evidence and the exhibits have shown clearly that there was no accreditation at most of the polling units during the governorship election. This is why INEC allowed PDP supporters to engage in multiple voting using unclaimed PVCs.
“It is, therefore, no surprise that given their proclivity for fraudulent practices, the respondents in the case may want to extend their stock-in-trade to the court premises,” he said.
But the state Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Ini Ememobong, denied the claim, noting that the allegation of the APC was false and based on gossip as there were no evidences to back up their claim.
Mr. Ememobong said the party was only responding to the allegations of the APC to reveal the truth so that the public would not believe the lies, and for legal purposes which supposed that “issues not traversed are deemed admitted.”
“The evidences tendered by the petitioner have been duly marked and recorded by the court and therefore are now the property of the court; kept in safe custody,” he said.
