Imo: APC Writes INEC over Supplementary Polls

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has written a letter to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Dr. Attahiru Jega, to express the party’s position concerning the supplementary elections in Imo State.

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

The letter read in part: “Our position is based on the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State, erroneously and, perhaps, mischievously, included areas where elections took place and results were collated‎, announced, declared and results sheets (Forms EC and A) issued to party agents, including agents of the PDP, who signed the result sheets) see attached”.

It, therefore, called on INEC to remove the polling units where elections were held and results declared by the presiding officers and signed by the party agents‎.

APC added that since elections were held in Oru East, Isu, Mbaitoli and Ezihite Mbaise and were certified by the presiding officers and acknowledged by all party agents, INEC did not have the power to cancel the elections.

The party, therefore, urged INEC to exclude the listed areas from the proposed elections of April 25 and restrict itself to areas where elections did not take place, which had a total registered voter population of 98,447.

It said from the facts available, it became necessary for APC to bring to INEC’s notice the desperation of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo State to pervert the electoral will of the people by, continuously, attempting to add new areas where supplementary elections were to hold to justify his decision not to declare the APC candidate as winner of the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial election, hence the decision to declare it inconclusive.

The APC added that “If not, how can one justify the acceptance of results of Ezihite Mbaise that was above the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) collection for the local government?”

It said when its agent pointed it out, the REC and the State Returning Officer, directed the Local Government Returning Officer, Mrs. Helen Ohanyerem, to revise the figures downwards to accommodate the number of the PVCs distributed in the area and, thereafter, admitted the revised results.

The party alleged further that the State Independent Electoral Commission officials aided and connived with the military in Mbaise Local Government Area and Izombe ward in Oguta LGA and Egbema ward A, Egbema ward B, Ekwuato and Umuagwo ward in Ohaji/Egbeme LGA carted away election materials and wrote 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-schedule supplementary Imo Gubernatorial elections”, the party stated.

The APC said it would find it difficult to participate in any election organised and supervised by the present Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner and his team as they have been compromised.