By Okoi Obono-Obla
Electoral Manipulation and the 2007 Cross River Governorship Petition-
In the 2007 gubernatorial election in Cross River State, INEC, in collusion with the PDP, deliberately withheld election result sheets (EC 8(I)) during the distribution of electoral materials across more than 2,700 polling units in the 18 Local Government Areas of the state on April 14, 2007. Consequently, results that were required by law to be collated at the State Collation Office in INEC’s headquarters in Calabar were instead collated at Onyedama in Obubra Local Government Area, where the outcome was declared in favor of the PDP.
The irregularity came to light when a patriotic security officer alerted the gubernatorial candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), founded by Senator Orji Kalu. I raised this fact as one of the grounds in the Petition I filed as Counsel to the opposition parties challenging the result before the Cross River State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. During the trial, INEC failed to produce the missing result sheets. Nevertheless, the Tribunal dismissed the Petition.
On appeal, however, the Court of Appeal in Calabar, presided over by the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat M. O. Kekere‑Ekun, upheld our Petition, nullified the election, and ordered a fresh poll. The judgment was reported in the Nigeria Weekly Law Reports (2009) 1 NWLR (Pt. 1121) 1 under Dr. Paul Ukpo v. Senator Liyel Imoke & Ors. Today, some of the very individuals responsible for this despicable act of electoral malpractice are posturing as reformers who claim they can transform Nigeria.
Conclusion:
The events of 2007 in Cross River State serve as a stark reminder of how fragile democracy can be when institutions betray their mandate. It underscores the need for vigilance, accountability, and genuine reform to ensure that electoral processes reflect the will of the people rather than the machinations of a few.
* Okoi Obono-Obla
Leave a comment