The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun has said that the party will boycott Saturday’s rescheduled election in Imo State over alleged compromise of the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The APC in a protest letter to Prof Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, requested for replacement of key officials in the state.
Oyegun alleged that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State was desperate to manipulate the election by attempting to order new vote in areas where results had already been declared, all in an effort to help the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, win.
“Our position is based on the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State erroneously and perhaps mischievously included areas where elections took place and results were collated, announced, declared and results sheets (Forms EC8A) issued to party agents, including agents of the PDP who signed the results sheets,” the APC said.
It will be recalled that the election on April 11 was declared inconclusive by the Returning Officer, Professor Ibidapo Obe, because the margin (79,529) between the frontrunner, APC’s Rochas Okorocha and his contender, Emeka Ihedioha of Peoples Democratic Party, was less than the number of registered voters (144,715) in wards where elections did not hold or were cancelled.
APC candidate, Rochas Okorocha had kicked against the supplementary poll saying it was unnecessary as INEC should have considered the number of Permanent Voter Cards in the affected areas, instead of registered voters.
“In the light of the foregoing, we of All Progressives Congress (APC) have lost faith in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials in Imo State in their management of elections and hereby call on the chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to send a new Election Management Team to supervise and conduct the re-scheduled supplementary Imo gubernatorial elections,” the party said.
