The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will review results from Obingwa Local Government Area in Abia State on Saturday, 18th March 2023, for governorship and State Assembly elections.
The decision followed the invasion of INEC office in the LGA on Sunday by suspected thugs.
READ ALSO: Abia Guber: LP’s Alex Otti Accuses PDP, INEC Of Attempts To Deny Him Victory
This was disclosed by the INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, at the Commission’s situation room in International Conference Centre Abuja on Sunday.
The electoral body had earlier alerted about the invasion of its office in Obingwa LGA on Sunday morning.
Okoye in his address at the situation room on Sunday said the thugs, who invaded the INEC office in Obingwa LGA forcefully demanded collation of results from Registration Areas in the LGA which were under contention by parties.
“Earlier today, the Commission alerted the nation to the invasion of our Obingwa Local Government Area office in Abia State by thugs during the collation of results for the Governorship and State Assembly elections.
“In contention was the collated result from the Registration Areas for the Governorship election in that Local Government Area. The intention was to force the collation of these contentious results. The behaviour of these thugs is unacceptable and there will be a thorough review of the results,” he stated.
“The Commission does not take the patience of citizens for granted and will continue to take steps to protect the integrity of the vote and consolidate the progress made so far in the electoral process,” Okoye added.
Prime Business Africa reports that the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the State, Dr Alex Otti, had on Saturday night raised the alarm over an alleged attempt by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the election.
Otti accused the PDP of allegedly conniving with some compromised INEC officials in the state to manipulate election results.
He specifically mentioned Obingwa, (the LGA of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu), Aba North, Aba South, and Osisioma local councils, as places being withheld with the intention of being allegedly manipulated by the ruling party in the state.
Otti further complained that BVAS machines were allegedly not used in the LGAs mentioned, while there was intimidation of Labour Party agents.
He maintained that the actual results of votes cast on Saturday and uploaded showed that he was winning by landslide, and called on the INEC chairman to intervene in the matter and stop the electoral fraud.
However, the Abia State government in a statement on Sunday denied the allegation and accused Otti and LP of hijacking the roles of INEC and also uploading fake election results.
In the statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikamnayo, the Abia State government also accused Otti of using security operatives to intimidate opponents of the Labour Party in the state
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