Ihedioha, Anyanwu, LP chair fault election outcome in Imo

•Accuse INEC of compromise •Uphold justice, declare me winner, PDP candidate urges electoral body

Former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha; National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Samuel Anyanwu; the state Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Festus Onyekwulisi, have criticised the state Assembly election in the 27 councils of the state.

Ihedioha, in a statement issued, yesterday, and signed by his media aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu, described the election as “rape of democracy in the state. He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of subverting democracy in the state Assembly poll, alleging collaboration with security operatives to cart away electoral materials.

The statement reads: “The horrible incident at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Aboh Mbaise Council, where security agencies, in connivance with compromised personnel of the Commission, carted away electoral materials can best be described as a rape of democracy.

“This is, no doubt, a state sponsored wickedness and determination to execute an evil plot. “Verifiable records show that PDP swept the polls across the state, but agents of darkness have, again, denied the people their constitutional right to choose their leaders.

“We wish to call on the Chairman of the electoral Commission and heads of various security agencies to urgently halt this descent to a failed state, and conclude this exercise fairly and creditably by allowing votes to count.”

Similarly, the PDP’s national scribe, in a statement issued, yesterday, by his Special Adviser (Media), Ikenna Onuoha, said: “National Secretary of the PDP, Anyanwu, urges INEC to release authentic results of March 18 state Assembly election to reflect how Imo people voted.

“He maintains that should INEC fail to do this, it will be concluded that officials of the Commission were deliberately compromised with agents of the ruling party to subvert the mandate of the people.”

In another development, the State Chairman of LP, Onyekwulisi, accused security operatives and others of disallowing agents of the party to be part of collation and other required activities, alleging: “Information reaching our Situation Room has it that the APC led Sole Administrators (SOLADs), in collaboration with their security personnel and touts, have refused LP agents access into the 27 councils’ collation centres across the state.

“We call on INEC, the police, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other relevant agencies to take note and call them to order. This is because we shall do everything possible to resist them from subverting the will of the people, which they expressed through the ballots.”

Dismissing the allegations, the APC, in a statement issued, yesterday, described the PDP as a “rotten, rejected and forsaken” party, struggling to accept defeat.

MEANWHILE, the PDP state Assembly candidate for Aboh Mbaise Council, Princewill Amuchie, has urged INEC to uphold justice by declaring him the authentic winner of Saturday’s poll in the area. The Guardian gathered that INEC had, yesterday, declared the candidate of APC, Edward Obinna, winner of the election amidst tight security.

But speaking to journalists in Owerri, Amuchie insisted he won the election after garnering majority votes in all the polling units in the area. He said he would explore available legal means to recover the mandate willingly giving to him by his constituents if the electoral umpire failed to yield to his demand.