The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cancelled the Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency rerun election in Akwa Ibom due to violence.

The state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Dr Cyril Omorogbe, said this when he addressed newsmen in his office in Uyo on Saturday.

Mr Omoregbe said the election was cancelled in all the 17 polling units as a result of reported snatching of election materials, including Bi-Modal Voters Accreditation Machine System (BVAS) and others

“I just want to give a brief update on what has happened today in the case of the rerun election.

“The fact is that we had about four Local Government Areas (LGAs) where we conducted election and one major one of them was the Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency

“We were there this morning early enough at about 8:30 a.m; polling units were opened. A couple of hours after we opened the polls, I received a call that BIVAS machines were hijacked.

“So, I knew from then that we were in for a tough time. Two hours after that, I received another report that was not good. So, the rerun election in Ikono/Ini federal constituency has been cancelled,” he said.

Mr Omoregbe added:“ I received reports from the Collation Officers that were supposed to collate the result in the area, that election did not hold.

“The whole exercise in those 17 polling units was marred by violence as materials were either hijacked, disrupted, or people were being chased, among other things of that nature.

“From the Collation Officers in the field who were supposed to collate, they all came back and had written reports, and the result sheets they were supposed to fill are all here. Apparently, there was no election for now.

“On the other constituency of Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency, I am still expecting to hear from them, but I believe at this point things went well. Perhaps, in the next couple of hours, the result will be declared.”

The REC said the commission would take a decision on the matter after a meeting in Abuja.

(NAN)