APC Calls For Cancellation of General Elections in Enugu

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Monday, February 25th, 2019

From Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The All Progressive Congress(APC), Enugu state chapter has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the Presidential and National Assembly Elections held in the State on February 23, 2019 over alleged irregularities and manipulation of the exercise by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party PDP through fake adhoc staff of the commission.

Addressing a press conference Sunday at the party’s secretariat in Enugu , state chairman of the party, Dr. Ben Nwoye, accompanied by the National Assembly candidates of the APC in the state, as well as its governorship flag bearer, Senator Ayogu Eze, accused the INEC adhoc staff, security operatives and Youth Corp members of compromising their duties in virtually all the 17 council areas of the state.

Nwoye, equally alleged that fake INEC Adhoc staff were attached in all the polling units and voting points to direct unenlightened/uneducated voters to thumbprint/vote for the PDP to the exclusion to their party agents.

He further alleged that Corp members posted to various units and voting points received inducement from PDP to compromise their duties in the election.

He also accused the PDP of vote buying in almost every polling unit and voting points, insisting that whatever results INEC may announced at the end of the collation exercise would not be a true reflection of voters in the state.

According to him, majority of their party agents at the polling units and voting points at ward levels were denied copies of result sheets, allegedly collated by collation officers for the Presidential, Federal Constituency and Senatorial District elections.

Nwoye, who read and made available to journalists copies of petition written to the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state on the matter by the party and its candidates said: “Fake INEC Adhoc staff were attached in all the polling units and voting points to direct unenlightened/uneducated voters to thumb print/vote for the PDP to the exclusion to our party agents.

“Therefore, it is our contention that the purported result collated and being expected to be submitted to your office do not represent the result of the 23rd February, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly election in Enugu State.

“The ward collation officers greatly compromised themselves by collating results different from that generated from the majority of the respective polling units” Nwoye told the Enugu State INEC Electoral Commissioner, (REC)

The party therefore, requested on behalf of the candidates that the February 23 elections be cancelled, and perpetrators of the electoral fraud be arrested and prosecuted, including the corps members.

Our correspondent reports that present at the media briefing were, the state gubernatorial candidate, Senator Eze, senatorial candidate for Enugu West, district, Barrister (Mrs) Juliet Ibekaku, Nwagwu, her Enugu North counterpart, and former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Barrister Eugene Odoh, that of Enugu East district, Engineer Lawrence Ezeh, and all the House of representatives candidates.

Meanwhile, reacting to the APC allegations, spokesman for the PDP campaign council in the state, Barrister Nana Ogodo, said” It’s all a figment of their fertile imagination.

“Thankfully, the press was a crucial observer of the entire process in the state. All we can say is that those who fail to plan are inevitably planning to fail.

“Ask them how many places they stumped for campaigns in the run-up to the election. You do not substitute sporadic press briefings for campaigns and expect to win.

“I urge them to get ready for the governorship & state assembly elections in the next 2 weeks.