POLLS: Abia South LP candidate faults INEC for declaring Abaribe winner, demands rerun

The Labour Party Candidate for Abia South Senatorial District in the just-concluded February 25 National Assembly elections, Chinedu Onyeizu, on Monday, demanded INEC conducts rerun elections in over 100 polling units in the district.

Onyeizu, who spoke in a Channels Television’s programme Sunrise Daily on Monday, accused the returning officer for the election, Prof Georgina Ugwuanyi, of declaring the incumbent Senator for the district, Enyinnaya Abaribe, as the winner of the poll after receiving instructions from Abuja.

Onyeizu also alleged that more than 40,000 registered voters were disenfranchised in places where he should have won, adding the declaration was after the returning officer had declared the election inconclusive.

He therefore demanded a rerun in areas where voters were allegedly disenfranchised.

He said: “We are looking at a scenario where I won my election as the candidate of the Labour Party in Abia South and then on Tuesday when the election results were just being collated, the INEC Returning Officer for Abia South Senatorial Zone declared the election inconclusive because over 108 polling units in my stronghold didn’t experience any form of election.

“Every collation officer accepted the position of INEC. Only for her to return after five hours with over five trucks loaded with military personnel and mobile police to announce a winner. We have videos on this.

“She said on video that she got instructions from Abuja to return to the zonal collation office and declare Senator Abaribe as the winner of an inconclusive election.

Read also:Despite win Sen Abaribe says election flawed, INEC manipulated votes

“We are curious to understand what changed after five hours of her declaring the election inconclusive.”

“As a candidate, I am rejecting those declarations and I am calling on INEC, I am calling on the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu to do the right thing. There is no order that could come from Abuja that is above constitutional provisions which are clear in the Electoral Act.

“If the difference between the declared winner and the first runner-up is less than the total number of registered voters with PVCs, you don’t just wake up and declare one of the candidates as the winner.

“I am asking for a rerun or conduct of supplementary election in these areas so that we will all have a clear explanation on whoever emerges a winner.”

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