Ebonyi resident electoral commissioner in alleged N300m bribery scandal

…It’s a lie, says REC

By Onyekwere, Abakaliki

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Cosstituency in Ebonyi state, Comrade Chinedu Ogah has alleged that the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Godswill Obioma collected N300 million as bribe to reduce the votes scored by his party in the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Briefing newsmen in Abakaliki, Comrade Ogah also noted that even though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared that Buhari won in Ikwo Local Government Area, about 15, 000 votes were removed and the result falsified by the resident electoral commissioner in connivance with the Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) in the state.

Ogah, who alleged that he also lost about 21, 000 votes because of the result falsification, disclosed that the Special Presidential Investigative Panel (SPIP) has arrested the resident electoral commissioner over the bribery allegation.

According to him, INEC reduced the votes scored by President Muhammadu Buhari in Ikwo council area from over 30, 000 votes, about 21, 000 votes, declaring that he has credible evidence of the financial inducement and the other electoral fraud committed by the resident electoral commissioner and other officials of the electoral commission in the state.

Ogah said: “The collation of results was supposed to be done at the polling units to the ward, local government and to the federal constituency office in Onueke, but such a thing was not done.

The votes of President Buhari were reduced and falsified. The Ebonyi state REC, Prof. Godswill Obioma collected about N330 million.

“Another INEC officer was given a bribe of $300, 000 by a PDP candidate in the state. What we are asking the resident electoral commissioner is that if he claims that he is innocent of this allegation,

why should they now fill form ECG 40 G on April 4 claiming that up to 31, 000 votes were cancelled in Ikwo, but he used less that 7 ,000 voles to declare someone winner? If such a thing happened, is it not inconclusive?

“But, such a thing did not happen because you want to make sure that you deliver on the money you have collected. There was no violence in Ikwo and none of the presiding officers filled a form indicating that they cancelled the election.

We have written to the INEC chairman; we have written to the President and we have written to the resident electoral commissioner.”

However, in a swift reaction, the Ebonyi state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Godswill Obioma described the allegations as false and unfortunate, noting that he was only invited by the presidential panel on allegations that PDP connived with INEC to reduce and falsify the votes of President Buhari and some other APC candidates by the tribunal.

Prof. Obioma stated that at no time was he invited by any panel over alleged financial fraud, but that the petitioner alleged that some of his staff the commission allegedly collected money for the purposes falsifying election results.

He confirmed writing a statement when he honoured the invitation of the presidential investigative panel, adding that in the event that the election tribunal nullifies the result of the election for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency and declared the APC candidate, Comrade Ogah as winner, the electoral commission would abide by the ruling.

Prof. Obioma said that “my attention was drawn to a statement made by Chinedu Ogah that I took a bribe of N300 million to falsify and reduce the votes of President Muhammadu Buhari in Ebonyi state.

I deny it in its entirety, I didn’t receive any bribe and I could not have received it. As an INEC resident commissioner, I carried out my duty free and fair. I was not partisan. 

“So, I did not at all receive any bribe. I was not arrested by the SPIP. I was invited and I have written a statement in that regard. The allegations didn’t involve me.

The petition involves allegations that PDP in connivance with INEC falsified and reduced the votes of Mr. President and some other APC candidates, and also allegations that one of my staff collected money for that purpose.

“There have been many instances where somebody has been declared winner by INEC and the court nullified it. 

So, in the event that the tribunal nullifies the result of the election for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency and declared the petitioner winner, we will abide by it.

Regarding the petition in the tribunal, I cannot make any comment on a case before the court of competent jurisdiction.  The court will decide the final winner of the election.”