Lai Mohammed Speaks on DSS Invasion of Governor House in Akwa Ibom State

PDP carrying out orchestrated misinformation campaign about Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petition, DSS - APC

Being the text of the press conference addressed by the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Lagos on Monday, Sept. 21st 2015
Gentlemen, welcome to this press conference and thank you for honouring our invitation once again.

As you are very much aware, the PDP has recently been engaged in what is undoubtedly an orchestrated campaign of misinformation on the proceedings at the Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petition, as well as embarked on a calculated move to denigrate the security agencies, especially the Department of Security Services (DSS). It is not by accident that the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, has led a cacophony of other PDP voices that have been shouting themselves hoarse in an effort to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians and distort the real situation with regard to the Governorship Election Petition by the APC Governorship Candidate in the last election, Mr. Umana Umana.

Those who are following in the footsteps of Mr. Secondus to peddle lies include the PDP's National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh; Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State PDP, Mr Paul Ekpo and the Akwa Ibom State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Uwemedimo Nwoko.

In what amounts to turning the truth on its head and crying wolf where there is none, the PDP has pointedly accused my party, the APC, of working in cahoots with the DSS to upturn the Akwa Ibom Governorship Election purportedly won by the PDP. That is the summary of all their mindless and meaningless accusations.

We have therefore called this press conference to put the records straight and tell Nigerians to disregard the lies being daily propagated by the PDP.


THE TRUE SITUATION:

The DSS recently invited the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Austin Okojie, and some other officials working under him to help in their investigation into the discovery that the Commission had destroyed and attempted to destroy evidence in election petitions before the state election petition tribunals by shredding ballot papers, immersing them in water, mixing them all up and stuffing them in jute bags which are then left out in the open at the mercy of the elements, contrary to the clear instruction of INEC manual for election officers 2015 (revised version) Section 2.8.5, which requires that AFTER ELECTIONS THE BALLOT PAPERS SHOULD BE PRESERVED UNIT BY UNIT IN SEALED ENVELOPES.

(Please note that we have provided copies of the INEC Manual for Election Officials 2015, Updated Version, in Section 2.8.5 for your perusal. We have also provided the pictorial evidence of the criminal acts of the destruction and attempted destruction of the material evidence in the election petition)

This evidence was available to DSS, which then launched investigation to determine those responsible for the criminal acts. The state of electoral materials discovered in the course of the forensic examination ordered by the tribunal was so bad that we now know why INEC, in concert with the PDP, did everything to stop the forensic examination of the ballot papers. They were petrified by their knowledge of what the forensic examination would reveal. INEC disobeyed three valid orders of the tribunal authorizing the Petitioner to conduct the forensic examination. After discovering that we had taken photographs of ballot papers from Itu, Ibesikpo, Ika and Uruan that showed the twisted and mangled state of the election material, they stopped us from scanning the remaining local government areas.

On the few days that INEC allowed the forensic examination, their staff turned up several hours late. In fact, we lost the first seven days of the 14-day period because INEC said the officer with the key to the store where the ballot papers were kept in Abuja was still in Uyo. INEC officials who have been the masterminds of the criminal sabotage and disobedience of the valid orders of the tribunal, and were asked to account for what happened to the ballot papers, include Emmanuel Agu, Electoral Officer (EO) in charge of Essien Udim; Obinna, EO in charge of Uyo; Uche Okorie, head of legal, Uyo; and their overall boss, Austin Okojie, the Akwa Ibom State REC.

We make bold to say that civil servants would not carry on with this level of criminal impunity if they have not come under some influence that is contrary to the good of society. As a matter of fact, it is a reflection of the impunity that was mindlessly perpetrated under the PDP that the former ruling party would misrepresent legitimate investigation into crimes as harassment. We would like the PDP to tell Nigerians which country that operates by the rule of law would tolerate the willful, deliberate destruction of evidence in a matter that is before a court of law.

The PDP's noise is to divert attention from its collusion with compromised officers in INEC to institutionalize criminal impunity in the electoral process. Is the PDP saying that law enforcement agents should fold their hands and watch INEC officials break the law with impunity, destroying evidence without accountability? The
PDP is rising to the defence of INEC officials who are asked to account for their official actions. Is the PDP, by their meddlesomeness, suggesting that those INEC officials are members of the defeated ruling party?

Gentlemen, the surprising thing is not that the officials of INEC connected to the criminal acts narrated here have been taken in for interrogation over their roles in the established cases of crime. The surprise really is that they are not in jail, where they belong. The photo evidence of their criminal acts, which we have shown, speaks for itself. No matter what the PDP may say, INEC officials have a responsibility to account for how the ballot papers under their care came to be in the
state displayed here, which is clearly against the letter and spirit of INEC rules for the preservation of ballot materials after elections.

ROLE OF SECURITY AGENCIES:

A sticking point in the hearing of the Governorship Election Petitions filed by the APC Governorship candidates in the Niger Delta has been the role of the security
agencies, including the military and the DSS. We want to state clearly that the military and other security agencies were deployed to the states in the Niger Delta
to secure the last general elections and ensure the safety of the voters, because of the threats posed by violence before, during and after the polls. That deployment was beyond the APC. But because of the role of the security agencies, the APC can, and indeed has, subpoenaed them when necessary to tell the Tribunals what they saw. Any of the parties so interested can also do the same. To now extrapolate from this that the APC is using the security agencies to harass and intimidate the Tribunals is simply a lie and absolutely irresponsible.


DSS INVASION OF AKWA IBOM GOVERNMENT HOUSE:

We in the APC are not privy to the reasons for the DSS' search of the Akwa Ibom Government House. However, we have no doubt that the security agency acted within its area of competence and authority. We do not see any connection between the search by the DSS and our candidate's petition before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. We therefore reject any attempt by the desperate and paranoid PDP to cite the DSS action as another instance of the APC-led Federal Government supposed plan to influence the work of the Tribunal. To be sure, our government will never micromanage the judiciary, and we also hereby restate our strong believe in the ability of the courts to do their work without fear or favour.

CONCLUSION:

We in the APC implore the PDP to have confidence in our Judiciary and to stop peddling lies about the work of the Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the role of the security agencies. They should deploy their energy to make their case at the Tribunal instead of whipping up emotions and sentiments that have nothing to do with reality.

We urge Nigerians to strongly and dispassionately scrutinize the issues we have raised, especially the evidence of what INEC officials, working in cahoots with the PDP, did to the ballot papers used for the last general elections in Akwa Ibom, to see whether the electoral officials adhered strictly to the INEC Manual for the 2015 elections.

We appeal to all our teeming and loyal members and supporters in Akwa Ibom to remain peaceful but vigilant, and to repose their confidence in the ability of the Tribunal to do justice to the petition of our Governorship candidate in the last elections.

Gentlemen, I thank you for listening

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Sept. 21st  2015