A forensic observation of the Akwa Ibom state governorship election materials has resumed at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s institute in Abuja.
The process was stalled on Friday due to the non-availability of the EC forms and result sheets.
The order for the observation was secured from a court by the All Progressives Congress (APC) which lost in the election to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
When Channels Television’s crew visited the venue of the exercise on Saturday, security operatives deprived them access into the premises to film the exercise.
Similar confrontations had occurred on Friday between representatives of the APC and the PDP on the one hand, and the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and their security operatives on the other hand before the process was finally stalled due to lack of some of the materials to be observed.
At the venue for the inspection of the materials used during the Akwa Ibom State governorship election were experts and the representatives of the two parties, in this contest, the APC and PDP.
The forensic exercise was earlier scheduled to commence on Friday, but was stalled due to heated arguments between party officials, forensic team and the head of legal services to INEC in Uyo.
The argument ended when they discovered that neither the EC forms nor the Result Sheets were available for the exercise.
Although the head of legal services to INEC in Uyo declined an interview, lawyers to the APC, Victor Iyanam and that of the Akwa Ibom Governor, Obafolahan Ojibara, accused each other of trying to frustrate the process.
This is the ninth week since May 14 that the forensic team and the petitioner have tried to investigate the elections materials in Uyo before a court order was secured for the materials to be brought to Abuja.
