From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Members of the Imo state Labour Party ( LP), on Monday held a peaceful protest at the headquarters of the Imo state Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) over the delay by the Electoral body in releasing the certified true copy( CTC) of the results of the November 11 governorship election.
It would be recalled that the Elecoral body had declared the incumbent governor Senator Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) as the winner of the election on the morning of 12 November.
The Labour Party Chairman, Barr Calistus Ihejiagwa who led the aggrieved members of the party on the peaceful protest to the Imo state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral commission along Owerri/ Port Harcourt Road .
The members who sang solidarity songs, displayed placards with various inscriptions such as: ‘ INEC is supposed not be unabised’ , INEC Justice delayed is Justice denied’, ‘INEC release CTC’ ‘INEC should be independent’ etc.
Speaking to Journalists at the Imo INEC headquarters, Barr. Ihejiagwa who was on wheel Chair , accused the Electoral body of employing delay tactics to frustrate the efforts of the party from filing its petitions before the election tribunal as the INEC is yet to release the certified true copy of the governorship election results nine days after the Electoral body had declared the candidate of the APC candidate and incumbent, Senator Hope Uzodimma as the winner of the polls .
He said : ” The first time I came here was on the evening of 11November, I was hale and hearty , strong and I came with my two legs .But I was beaten mercilessly and thrown outside from inside the collation room right in the presence of the State commissioner of police, two federal commissioners of INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner prof Sylvia Agu, Heads of Security Chiefs in the state , by thugs brought in by a top aide of governor Uzodimma, because I had demanded that the right thing should be done.
Continuing , Today , am here again in a wheel chair rising from the severe assault by the APC thugs on the evening of 11November which had affected my spine cord, demanding from the INEC to give us the certified true copy of the fake results they used in declaring senator Hope Uzodimma and they have refused nine days of the election.
The National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, the federal Commission representing the South East, Ken Ukaogu and the State Resident Electoral Commissioner , prof Sylvia Agu have refused to release the CTC after 9 days. They mocked Labour Party inside the collation hall that we should go to Court . The Returning Officer, Prof Abayomi Fasina had bluntly told us to go to court. We have applied for the CTC so that we can go to court but the INEC is delaying which is deliberate just to frustrate us . We have come here this after noon so that the entire world will hear our voice that the INEC is frustrating us , using technical reasons that the delay from is one office or the other.” He lamented .
Addressing the protesters , the Imo state INEC head of Voter Education and Logistics , Mrs Emmanuelle Opara , said that the INEC has already acknowledged the receipt of the application of the party for the certified true copy of 11 November governorship polls, as it the right of the party to do so .
She said :” INEC has already acknowledged the receipt of the application of the party for the certified true copy of the governorship election and will be made avaliable to you as it is your right to do so. The results are being assembled and will be costed and , when it is ready you will notified and when you pay it will given to you.”