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Imo rerun election a mockery of democratic principles —PDP

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BAYELSA GUBER: PDP downplays last minute defections from the party

The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the immediate cancellation of last Saturday’s rerun and supplementary elections in the state which witnessed low turnout in some areas.

Damian Opara, the party’s state Publicity Secretary in a statement issued on Monday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do the needful by cancelling the election stating that the exercise was a charade and mockery of democratic principles.

The state party spokesman also alleged that some INEC officials and law enforcement agents colluded with politicians to perpetrate electoral fraud during the election held last Saturday.

The statement by the Imo State PDP reads thus in full, “Consequent upon the charade done yesterday, Saturday, 25/01/2020 in the name of conduct of rerun elections by INEC in Okigwe/Onuimo/Isiala Mbano, Orlu/Orsu/Oru East federal constituencies and Njaba state constituency, all in Imo State, the Peoples Democratic Party Imo State Chapter hereby call on INEC to cancel the elections as the entire exercise was the worst elections ever conducted since the history of elections in Imo State

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“A situation where the Men of the Nigeria Police Force openly aided thugs to cart away elections materials is not only worrisome but dangerous to our Democracy.

“In almost all the polling units where these elections were purportedly conducted, PDP agents and the entire electorates were not allowed to vote, intimidation, and vote buying by APC became the order of the day.

“At Collation centres, results sheet that contained the actual voting in the polling units were destroyed by APC thugs in collaboration with the Police and INEC officials.

“Party agents and supporters were in some places chased out of voting centres without allowing them to vote, so many of them sustained various degrees of injuries. Vote buying became the order of the day; the worst is that all these anomalies were carried out in presence of Security agents and INEC officials.”

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