Senator Godswill Akpabio’s legal team on Wednesday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission in Akwa Ibom State of frustrating the inspection of election materials used for the conduct of the Ikot-Ekpene senatorial polls.

The chairman of the state election petitions tribunal, Justice W. Akanbi, had on April 2, granted Akpabio permission to inspect and copy all election materials used for the conduct of the election.

But in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, on Wednesday, Mr Patrick Umoh, who led the senator’s legal team to INEC office at resumption of the inspection on Tuesday, accused the electoral umpire of unnecessarily delaying the process.

He alleged that the electoral body was plotting to frustrate the inspection.

Umoh said, “We have not commenced proper inspection of the materials. When we got there yesterday (Tuesday), all the materials used for the governorship, presidential and National Assembly elections were put in one place.

“We demanded for the voter registers, result sheets and others, but they refused to provide them on the grounds that they were supposed to be brought in by electoral officers from the respective local government councils.

“There is a systemic frustration that has been pre-arranged by INEC.”

But the commission’s Public Affairs Officer in the state, Mr Don Etukudo, denied the allegation.

He said there was a schedule given to the legal team and it was able to sort materials for 10 local government areas on Tuesday when the inspection resumed.

Etukudo added that materials for Ini, Abak and Etim Ekpo local government areas were scheduled to be sorted on Wednesday.

“That was why we gave them a schedule of inspection of the materials.

“Materials from all the local government areas in Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot-Ekpene) senatorial district were brought out on Tuesday and the legal team was able to sort out 10 councils.

“Today (Wednesday) is the turn of Ini, Etim Ekpo and Abak local government areas,” he said.

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