From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Angry youths from Isu Local Government Area of Imo State besieged the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Owerri on Wednesday, alleging that the results declared by the commission for the Isu State constituency were the same as when the supplementary election has not been conducted.
They alleged that the declaration of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Modestus Osakwe, was faulty.
Speaking to reporters at the protest, their leader, Fidelis Ibewuike said: “Our election was declared inconclusive because the number of votes from polling units where the election did not hold was higher than the number of the leading party the PDP: Here are the facts: APC = 4,907 votes, PDP = 5,390 votes. These were the figures at the time election was declared inconclusive.
“INEC must review the fraudulent declaration of the results which returned the PDP’s candidate with a view of annulling it. The figures used in the declaration were not the figures from the supplementary election held Saturday, April 15th, 2023. Imo REC must instruct for the final collation of the results from the supplementary election and announce the winner from it without any further delay.
“From the figures gotten from our situation room in the collation exercise from our field agents, our candidate, Barr. Kingsley Ozurumba of the APC polled the highest of lawful votes and must be declared the winner of the exercise,” Ibewuike said.
He also added “Why was the APC and the PDP allocated the same number of votes as before the supplementary election as the newly declared results after the supplementary election?
“The returning officer while announcing the PDP’s candidate as the winner said that the party scored 5,390 votes the same figures scored during the last election, what were the scores of the party for the supplementary election? If the PDP could be declared the winner with results from the last election without any recourse to the new supplementary election figures, why then was the rationale for the supplementary election to hold?” Ibewuike queried.
Responding to their petition, the Imo INEC’s Director for voter education/publicity Mrs Emmanuela Opara who received the protest letter promised to make sure that their complaints get to the REC.