The Labour Party governorship candidate in Abia State, Alex Otti, says his party has received the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to scrutinize the result of Obingwa Local Government Area in Saturday’s governorship election in the state in good faith.
Addressing the press and supporters at his party’s campaign headquarters in Umuahia on Monday, Otti noted that Obingwa has become a terror ground because of the desperation of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Describing results from the local government as dubious, Otti said the situation saw the number of purported votes cast outnumbering the accredited voters by a great margin.
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“I addressed the press and our teeming supporters who had thronged our campaign headquarters, ready to celebrate our victory at the just concluded election. We received in good faith the decision by INEC to scrutinize the dubious result from Obingwa.
“Obingwa has become a terror ground, not by the making of the innocent citizens there, but because of the desperation of the PDP in Abia state who, forgetting that times have changed, resorted to their usual election rigging strategy.
“The situation saw the number of purported votes cast outnumbering the accredited voters by a great margin, and recourse to violence that had our Obingwa LG agent Dr. George Chiedozie brutalized by PDP thugs. I urge Ndi Abia to remain calm, as we await INEC to do the right thing,” Otti said.
INEC had earlier on Monday announced the suspension of the collation of results for Saturday’s governorship elections in Abia and Enugu states to review some results in parts of the states respectively.
In a statement by the INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, he said the Commission took the decision after a meeting to review the elections on Monday.
He said the Commission has suspended the collation of results in Obingwa LGA of Abia State where he noted that its office was invaded by thugs on Sunday. Similarly, results from Nkanu East and Nsukka LGAs in Enugu State have also been suspended for further review.
Okoye said a review will be undertaken immediately before the process is concluded.