PDP governorship candidate in Abia State, Dr.
Okezie Ikpeazu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship
candidate in Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has
called for the removal of the state Resident
Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Celina Oko
and the Returning Officer, Prof Benjamin Ozumba
before the planned supplementary election will
take place.
Ikpeazu, in a statement made available to
THISDAY, said: “It is obvious that both the
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commission for Abia
State, Professor Mrs. Celina Oko and the
Returning Officer, Professor Benjamin Ozumba,
didn’t hide their bias in declaring the Abia
governorship election inconclusive where there is
a clear winner with wide margin.”
Ikpeazu expressed belief that the Prof. Attahiru
Jega-led Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) will encounter a credibility
and integrity crisis if it fails to declare him winner
of the April 11 governorship election in the state.
Ikpeazu, who according to reports, polled 248,459
votes against Chief Alex Otti of the All Progressive
Grand Alliance (APGA) who scored 165,407,
argued that with 83,053 votes ahead of Otti, that
he is already a winner and should have been
declared winner by the election umpire.
According to him, “The case of Abia state
governorship election result will definitely raise so
much credibility and integrity questions against
Professor Jega and INEC. It is unheard of that in
an election where the winner has 83,053 votes
against loser is declared inconclusive.
“INEC has accepted and announced result from
the 17 local government areas of Abia, and I
scored 248,459 while Alex Otti got 165,407, which
means that Otti has 83,053 votes deficit, instead
of declaring me winner, the Resident Electoral
Commission for Abia State, Prof. Mrs. Celina Oko,
who I later got to understand is a relative of Otti,
got a willing partner in the person of Prof.
Ozumba.
“Going from the result already announced and
entered into INEC form EC8D, by INEC which is
summary of results from the 17 local government
areas of Abia State, collated at the state level,
declared and duly signed by Prof. Benjamin
Ozumba, and all the accredited agents of political
parties in the state collation center in Umuahia,
including Chief Ahamdi Nweke, of APGA, and Dr.
Solomon Ogunji of the PDP, shows I am the
winner of the election.
“In that result, the number of registered voters is
1,217,632. No. of accredited voters is 470,900,
total valid votes is 430,561, rejected votes is
8,893 and total votes cast is 439,454.
PDP has
248,459, while APGA has 165,406, and I have a
margin of 83,053 ahead of Otti. What on earth is
preventing INEC from seeing that I have made
25% of the votes cast in the 2/3 of the local
government areas in the state, and scored
majority number of votes cast?”
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