From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency, Hon. Promise Iheasimuo and a group, Obingwa Concerned Citizens have rejected the results of the February 25 National Assembly election in Aba and Obingwa respectively, in Abia State.
Addressing Journalists, Iheasimuo said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) omitted his name from the ballot papers, making it impossible for his supporters and party members to vote for him in the election.
Iheasimuo, a former leader of the Aba South Legislative Council said that the people of Aba North and Aba South who would have chosen APC were denied the options, through the omission and called for the cancellation of the election.
“We were wrongly excluded from the ballot papers and we were not found on the election results sheet. We made an official report to INEC, security agencies and even the press, but INEC ignored us and went ahead to declare that the candidate of the Labour Party won the election where another party was omitted for no good reason.
“I passed through the due process. I bought a form, passed through screening and submitted my form and was made my party’s candidate by the law.
“Even when they initially excluded me, I got an order from a Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia mandating INEC to submit my name and my party did the same by urging it publish my name, yet INEC omitted my name.”
He said that when he inquired from INEC, they told him that they had already printed the ballot papers before he got an order from the court to shift the date of the election to accommodate him.
He said the order was served on INEC weeks before the election and Electorial umpire acknowledged it.
Meanwhile, a pro organization known as Obingwa Concerned Citizens has called for calm from Abians especially the people of Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo Federal Constitituency over the way INEC conducted last Saturday’s election
The organization which spoke through its leader, Emmanuel Munachim Onyenso said the decision of INEC to go ahead and announce results of the elections even when election did not take place in most places in the area, calls for concern.
The group expressed disappointment at INEC’s inability to keep to their words even after admitting and declaring that elections did not hold in some polling units in the constituency especially at Obingwa and Osisioma Local Government Areas with over 40,000 voters.
“In Obingwa 4 Wards, 7 Polling Units with a total of 8316 registered voters were disenfranchised while in Osisioma, 4 Wards, 68 polling units and a total of 37,029 registered were also disenfranchised, amounting to over 40,000 persons deliberately disenfranchised by INEC.
Citing the electoral act, the group insisted that INEC had until seven days after the elections were conducted and declared inconclusive to investigate and conduct elections at such locations to ensure the people exercised their fundamental human rights.
The group called on the INEC to include the two affected Local Governments in the March 11 election to give peace a chance.