APC Calls For Cancellation Of Ebonyi Election

Mr Ejump

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State has rejected the outcome of the Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

It also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the results.

Eze Nwachukwu made the party’s position known at a post-election press conference held at the party’s secretariat on Tuesday in Abakaliki.

Mr Nwachukwu alleged widespread irregularities including underaged voting, multiple thumb printing of ballot papers, intimidation, harassment, the arrest of APC polling units agents as well as orchestrated violence against party members and supporters.

He alleged that Smart Card Readers (SCR) were not used for accreditation and voting in line with the election guidelines in most polling centres.

“Our position is that the election of Saturday, February 23 is rape on our democracy. Ebonyians witnessed what has never been seen in any election before now.

“Security operatives who were sent to provide election security in the state, on arrival took sides by allowing themselves to be accommodated in a private hotel.

“All the police personnel except the Adamawa commissioner of Police were lodged in this hotel, and this was where the compromise started.

“We had informed the police, INEC and Civil Society groups before the elections through our petitions of plots by some persons to buy votes and to create violence in parts of the state and this played out in the election.

“There is no local government area in Ebonyi that the election was not marred by violence; and the violence was in degrees including ballot boxes snatching, burning of buildings, election materials and killings among others.

“The card reader was not used for the election in several polling units, and we are calling for an audit of the elections in addition to our call for the outright cancellation of the entire exercise.

“Let the card readers be made available and let the result sheets be marched polling unit by polling unit, it is an exercise that can be achieved in a day,” Nwachukwu said.

He alleged that the senatorial and House of Representatives elections results for Ebonyi Central and Ezza South and Ikwo Federal constituency collation was moved to INEC state headquarters against the provision of the electoral law.

“We reject the results of the entire elections due to non-substantial compliance with the INEC guideline and electorate law and vote buying, intimidation of party agents and widespread violence.

“We call on Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC’s chairman to remove Prof. Godswill Obioma, the Ebonyi Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for incompetence and compromise.

“We also call on all our supporters to remain calm and law-abiding.”

Meanwhile, Lovett Odah, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), reacting to the allegation said that the command had not received a report of involvement of its personnel deployed for election duty in malpractices.

Meanwhile, Mr Obioma could not be reached for comments as he travelled to Abuja with the state presidential election returning officer, Frank Chukwuemeka, to submit Ebonyi result.state party agents of APC, PDP and others signed the final presidential result sheet at the state collation centre, INEC headquarters in Abakaliki on February 25.