Idongesit Ashameri / Correspondent, Uyo
Lawmaker representing Okobo constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and chairman, House Committee on Youth, Sports and Security, Efeffiong Antigha, has warned the Akwa Ibom electorate, especially the youth to refrain from political thuggery and other forms of election malpractices.
Antigha gave the warning in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, during a voter education workshop organised by Women United for Economic Empowerment (WUEE) in partnership with Actionaid Nigeria.
Reacting to logistic issues that hinder peaceful and credible elections raised by the representatives drawn from 18 select wards of Uruan, Abak, Nsit Ubium, Ikono, Okobo, and Ikot Abasi local government areas, such as snatching of ballot boxes, multiplication of votes and non-performance of elected leaders, the lawmaker cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be alive to her responsibilities to guide against creating loopholes for politicians to hijack the electoral processes.
He also cautioned against situations where the citizenry promote corruption in the electoral system by demanding money and other incentives for their votes, stressing that no amount of money or incentive was worth the punishment and denial they would undergo when caught.
“In elections like you all have analysed, there are always myriads of problems, ranging from imposition of wrong candidates, thuggery. I know of a boy who voted when he was not up to 18 and involved in multiple voting and was caught, and sentenced, and when the information got to the fellow he did all these things for, he denied him, saying he never asked him to vote more than once. “Therefore, in enjoin you to tell your children, your friends, neighbours to refrain from election malpractices, because you will not know who the law will catch up with. Tell your children, your friends, everybody involved in election to refrain from election malpractices, because you will not know who the law will catch up with.
“Cultism is another thing that I strongly advise my people against because it will destroy you, only few involved in it get lucky. Try to refrain from it. The issue of cultism is another problem we really need to tackle in Nigerian electoral system, because cultists are something else. Unfortunately most of us for the fear of losing election will want to contract them. But the problem again there is that by the time you are elected, from day one to the day you leave office, you are a slave to them”.
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