A former Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mike Igini, has revealed how politicians printed fake result sheets and flew them into Akwa Ibom state on the eve of elections.
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV on Wednesday, Igini also disclosed how his intervention saved the polls.
According to him, the incident happened 48 hours to the 2019 governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State where he served as the Resident Electoral Commissioner.
He stated that an intelligence report got to him that politicians had printed fake result sheets, already written results for 26 out of the 31 LGAs in the state, and flown them into Uyo, the state capital in a chartered aircraft.
The former INEC official reiterated that as soon as he got the information, he ran to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Uyo branch, where sensitive materials were kept.
Igini said he spent five hours inside the CBN, personally signing and endorsing every original result sheet for the 2,980 polling units in Akwa Ibom.
"Political participants spent millions to print fake result sheets and flew them into Akwa Ibom in a chartered jet. As soon as I got wind of the plot, I went to the CBN Uyo to personally sign and endorse all the original result sheets. It took me five hours," he said.
According to him, because he had endorsed the original sheets, the fake pre-written results brought in by politicians became useless.
He said that was what saved the 2019 election in Akwa Ibom state from producing a completely different outcome from what voters actually chose at the polling units.
How politicians printed fake result sheets, flew them to Akwa Ibom - Mike Igini