BY CHINYERE Nnaemeka
The candidates of various political parties in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area (LGA) who participated in the March 9, 2019 House of Assembly elections have unanimously rejected the poll and are protesting the results of the election.
The candidates numbering ten are: Hon. Chukwuka Agwunobi, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Hon. Joy Mbawuike, Action Alliance (AA); Hon. Echereodo Uchechukwu, Freedom for Justice Party (FJP); Hon. Adanna Anosike, United People Party (UPP); Barr. Collins Igwe, Advance Democratic party (ADP).
Others include: Hon. Chilos Godsent, Social Democratic Party (SDP); Hon. Ezenna Okoro, All Progressive Congress (APC); Hon. Kelechi Uzuoma, KOWA Party; Hon. Iyke Ohanwe, Accord Party; and Hon. Uchenna Nwaemeh, MEGA Party.
They disclosed this in a press release signed by the candidates and availed Daily Nigerian Horn, on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
They stated that in all the 12 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wards of the LGAs where the election was conducted, there were evidences of “monumental irregularities, frauds, failure to use the card readers, over voting, result falsifications, and worst of all; gun shootings and other acts of violence which resulted to the death of three persons, while many were injured”.
They further stated that at some of the wards, some candidates lost their votes, while others used vote- buying technique to manipulate the results to their favour, adding that they were stunned how results were presented for some of the polling units where voting did not take place and were declared cancelled by the Electoral officer due to the high level of irregularities witnessed in such vicinities.
” How can we or any person with a modicum of integrity endorse the outcome of an election where the Electoral Officer and the Returning officer as the chief empire cancelled the two whole wards, declared the election inconclusive and yet went ahead to declare a candidate a winner. None of the 12 INEC wards of the LGA were left out in this electoral malpractices, irregularities, and orgy of violence.
According to them, “In Osuama/Anara ward, voting did not take place in some of the polling units, but results were produced for such units. There were gross over voting, and vote-buying, while card readers were never used.
“Amaraku witnesses outright deduction of votes belonging to many candidates and allocation of underserved higher number of votes in favour of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) party candidate. Amaauzari witnessed the fraudulent swapping of its assigned ballot paper with ballot papers meant for Anambra State House of Assembly.
They continued, “Osuachara, Umuozu wards and other areas totaling over 50 polling units were confirmed totally cancelled by the electoral officer (EO) Mr. Peter Okorie as a result of the gross malpractices, irregularities and the act of violence observed. But we were shocked to discover that a fraudulent generated result for Osuachara ward was slotted in through the back door to declare the APGA candidate winner.
“Consequently, upon the aforementioned irregularities, malpractices, acts of violence, and the implicit inconclusiveness of the election in the various wards and polling units in Isiala Mbano as announced by the EO and his team on camera, we call upon INEC to disregard any person/party claiming to have been declared winner by any unscrupulous element within the INEC team for the Isiala Mbano state constituency election and order for a re-run or total cancellation for a fresh poll among the candidates in the affected areas for the interest of peace and the spirit of a true democracy’, they maintained.
Nigeria Horn
