Heavy security presence as Akwa Ibom rerun election kicks off

Voters and security personnel gathered in significant numbers at unit two and 14 of ward 11 in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State for a rerun election for a House of Representatives seat.

As of 9:20 am, election materials and INEC officials had not yet arrived, but police, Army, EFCC, NSCDC operatives, and voters were patiently awaiting the commencement of the exercise.

The presiding officer for unit 2, Mrs. Mildness David, speaking with journalists, attributed the delay in accreditation to a lack of vehicles to transport electoral materials. She explained, “There were no vehicles to convey the election materials to this place, and that was our challenge.”

Goddy Umoh, a former Commissioner for Economic Development in the state, praised the voters for their impressive turnout at the election venue. He said, “The voting strength in this unit (unit 002, ward 11) is little above 1000, and look at the turnout, it’s quite impressive and nothing like voter apathy. It is quite commendable.”