The Labour Party candidate in the February 3th rerun election for Enugu South, Bright E. Ngene, has filed a petition against the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Enugu State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, the Electoral Officer of Enugu South, Mr. Francis Chigbu, his Assistant Electoral Officer, Peter Mary Olubukolwa Chukwu Ani, the SPO Enugu South and many others.
In a terse statement seen by Raye24reporters, the petitioner vividly outlined how the electoral umpire violated the electoral laws and colluded with the opposition to undermine the entire process before, during and after the election.
In a well worded statement Mr Ngene said, “With tacit support of R. E. C to E. O. and Asst. E. O. (Peter Mercy Olubukolwa Chukwuani) jointly and severally jettison the transparent and due process used in recruiting adhoc personel.
They abandoned the people that attended 3 days INEC adhoc training, and recruited unknown people. E. O. out of his evil intention, and plans refused to paste publicly the list of successful trainees. when the E. O. was confronted, he said that Abuja office for superior reasons decided to do away with the trainees and instead send some personnel from Abuja to conduct the election as adhoc personnel.
After wards, it was discovered that the said Abuja personnel’s were actually members of P.D.P. who were all smuggled at the mid night, the eve of the re-run election.”
In exposing how the electoral umpire and the opposition orchestrated the plan he said, “The E.O. allowed the recruited P.D.P members to short change the corpers by assuming the position of (PO’s). The E.O. allowed the P.D.P. members to ingress the INEC office to influence the corpers (about 10) with the sum of #50,000 each on the condition that they should not disclose that the BVAS has been tampered, and they should not protest the short changing of their position as PO’s by the P.D.P recruited thugs.”
Explaining how this was achieved he said, “The E.O, and Asst. E.O. with full support of the REC allowed the P.D.P members to access original result sheet and polling unit result (hence wrote the result before the election). Tampered the ballot papers which paper were carted away at mid night, thumb printed, and same smuggled back later. The brazen aspect of the whole thing is that Hon.Sam Ngene (The P.D.P candidate for 3rd February re run election) was personally present thumb printing the ballot papers at the said odd hours.
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“The E.O. refused to present and or show sensitive material like result sheet to labour party agents who storm the local government INEC office at early morning of 3rd February 2024.
“S.P.O. in connivance with E.O. was furnished with all the polling unit results already filled and stampered before the election.
“The BVAS were tampered and figures uploaded before the election and corpers were told not to talk otherwise they will be traced and killed after the election.”
While expressing dismay Mr. Ngene insisted that, “There was no report of any violence and or vandalism of any sort, yet the result sheet and other sensitive materials mysteriously got missing from INEC custody.
“The said result sheet and other sensitive materials were received and acknowledged by the E. O. from the central Bank alongside Party Agents who witnessed and supervised the material on the 1st of February 2024.
According to him, “At the insistence of LP agent that original result sheet must be provided, the REC trying to conceal their joint and several crime provided alternatively the result sheet of 2023 election with weak promise to validate, and legalize the document by counter signing on it. of course LP vehemently refused, and rejected such cheap prank.
“There were no violence or any foreseeing threat yet no election were held, because all the sensitive, and non sensitive materials have been compromised and tampered by the REC.”
In his submission the former lawmaker posted that, “I therefore, pray that you use your good office to investigate the REC, E.O., S.P.O. and Assit. E.O. who has jointly and severally participated in this shameful and monumental act of compromise and corruption. I humbly submit that adequate sanction and punishment should be meted to these rotten elements INEC who by their brazen conducts tarnished the good image of INEC.It is no doubt that INEC as an institution is in the eye of storm and fast losing its credibility. Her image is terribly at stake in the circumstance.
Good people of Enugu State and Nigeria at large who are now privy to these shameful act of the REC, E.O. and ors are watching to see the reaction of INEC.
The firm reaction of INEC leadership will definitely boost the image of INEC and equal serve as a deterrent to many others like them across federation tarnishing the good image of the hallowed institution of INEC (the bed rock of our democracy),” even as he proposes that, “beyond their due punishment as provided and enshrine in the electoral Act, the team of R.E.C. and E.O., Assit. E.O. and S.P.O. as mentioned above be transferred out of Enugu South L.G.A and Enugu State at large as I have no iota of trust and confidence in any of them to conduct any credible, free and fair election.”
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