APC demands new INEC team to conduct Imo rerun

The All Progressives Congress (APC) gave indications yesterday that it may not participate in the supplementary election in Imo State if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insists in areas where elections have already taken place and results announced.

APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, in a letter to INEC National Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, also accused the commission’s officials in the state, led by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, of being compromised.

Oyegun said the APC will find it difficult to participate in any election organised and supervised by the Imo REC and his team.

In the letter dated April 20, 2015, the APC said it had watched with keen interest the developments in Imo State’s governorship election held on April 11, which was declared inconclusive by the commission.

The letter said “Our position is based on the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State erroneously and perhaps mischiviously 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 (see attached).”

Oyegun asked the Commission to remove the polling units where elections were held and results declared by the Presiding officers and signed by the party agents, adding that summary of the expected voters strength of all the units indicated that Oru East has 30,404 voters, Isu has 6,+86 voters and Mbaitoli has 10,072 voters. Ezihite Mbaise has 1,329 registered voters, which brough the total registered voters in the areas affected to 47,891 registered voters.

He said since elections were held in these areas and were certified by the presiding officers and acknowledged by all party agents, INEC does not have the powers to cancel the elections and order a rerun in such areas.

He asked the Commission to exclude the listed areas from the proposed elections of April 25 and restrict itself to areas where elections did not take place which has a total registered voters population of 98,447.

He said it had become necessary for the party to bring to INEC’s notice the manifest desperation of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State to pervert the electoral will of the people by continuously attempting to add new areas where supplementary elections are to hold to justify his decision not to declare the APC candidate as winner of April 11,2015 gubernatorial elections, hence the decision to declare it inconclusive.

While alleging that the Imo State INEC officials are complicit in the electoral conundrum, which took place in Mbaise, the APC Chairman said: “If not, how can one justify the acceptance of results of Ezihite Mbaise that was above the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) collections for the local government?”

He alleged that when the APC agent pointed it out, the Resident Electoral Commissioner and the State Returning Officer directed the Local government Returning Officer, Mrs. Helen Ohanyerem, to go and revise the figures downwards to accommodate the number of the PVCs distributed in the area and thereafter admitted the revised results.

He also alleged that INEC officials aided and  connived with the military in Mbaise Local Government Area and Izombe Ward in Oguta Local Government and Egbema Ward A, Egbema Ward B, Ekwuato and Umuagwo Ward in Ohaji/Egbeme Local government Area carted away election materials and write results which were admitted by the State Returning officer.

“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 stated.