Enugu LGA Poll: APC, LP, Other Opposition Parties Knock ENSIEC Over Irregularities

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Tuesday, September 24th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Chairmen, and Councillorship Candidates of the All progressives Congress APC, and other opposition political parties in the just concluded Enugu state local government area election in Eke ward, of Udi Council area of the state, have condemned in strong terms the issue of alleged missing result sheets during the exercise in their respective polling units.

They noted that the development confirmed their earlier fear and reservations before the election that the electoral process may end up being characterized by Irregularities as allegedly witnessed on 21st, September 2024 at Eke political ward and various polling units in the locality.

Our correspondent who covered the election in various council areas , including Eke ward in Udi local government Council, had earlier reported that the Saturday poll was marred by confusion in parts of the polling units that make up 4 wards in the area.

Immediate past Nigeria’s Minister of foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, and former Director General of Voice of Nigeria VON, Mr. Osita Okechukwu are from the Eke ward.

The opposition parties had insisted that the exercise cannot hold when they discovered that the election result sheets were missing when the electoral officials arrived at the voting venue with the electoral materials.

Speaking with newsmen, the angry opposition party candidates said what happened last Saturday was a rape of democracy by the ruling People’s Democratic party PDP.

They recalled how their members who came out on the election day for accreditation and voting as early as 7am at the Central School Eke, were disappointed when the Electoral officials arrived at the election venue at exactly 11:13 am without election result sheets.

They alleged that the officials of the Enugu Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) only came with duplicate result sheets to the polling unit, and refused to show them the original copies, despite their insistence.

The development led to a rowdy session causing the ENSIEC officials to temporarily put on hold the electoral procees, as the Eke electorate insisted that the exercise will not commence until all the original and other relevant electoral materials are made available.

Apparently afraid of the angry electorate who were ready to disrupt the election, the police reinforced their security network to the polling Unit at Central School, Eke (001&002 ) with armed policemen.

Despite the development, the state electoral body returned to Eke Ward a few hours later to continue with the local government election, in which only members of the peoples Democratic party PDP participated, while the opposition parties staged a workout, insisting that the result sheets should be made available.

In a chart with Journalists, the Udi LGA APC Chairmanship Candidate in the election, Tony Amalu, condemned in its entirety, the alleged removal of the result sheets by the electoral officials, alleging it was a ploy by the ruling PDP to manipulate the election the way they did.

He further alleged that the Supervisory presiding officer for the election SPO, was head bent in manipulating the exercise for the PDP, an allegation a PDP chieftain in the area, Dr. Stephen Igweze swiftly dismissed, pointing out that the ruling party is more popular and on ground than the APC and other opposition parties in the area.

In his reaction, Engr. Frank Udeh, the APC Councillorship Candidate for Eke ward 4, equally accused the PDP of disenfranchising the APC and other opposition voters who had come for the election.

He wondered why ENSIEC came to conduct an election in the area without complete result sheets, adding that such alleged electoral fraud cannot stand.

On his part, the Labour Party Councillorship Candidate Mr. Amadife Okechukwu also alleged that the process was compromised by the PDP, stressing that his party has lost confidence in ENSIEC’s ability to organize any free, fair and credible election.

The Electoral officials, had on Saturday said they know nothing about the alleged missing result sheets, stressing that they came to Eke with what was handed over to them at the Udi local government area headquarters where the Electoral materials were distributed.

However, the Executive Chairman of ENSIEC, Professor Christian Ngwu, while announcing the result of the election on Sunday disclosed that the PDP cleared all the 17 local government areas of the state, adding that the exercise was free, fair and credible.