Imo PDP Wants INEC to Cancel Ngor Okpala By-election

Amby Uneze in Owerri

The Imo State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the Ngor Okpala state constituency by-election that was held on Saturday due to alleged irregularities and securities breaches.

Addressing journalists in his office yesterday, the State Chairman of PDP, Mr. Charles Ugwu, lamented the use of security personnel to harass and intimidate the electorate by denying them their rights to vote and defend their votes.

Ugwu also accused the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hussain Rabiu, who he described as a known accomplice of the State Governor, Mr. Hope Uzodimma.

According to him, Rabiu led the combined teams of armed thugs, security operatives and Uzodimmas Strike Force that also provided cover for appointees of Uzodinma, members of the Imo State House of Assembly and members of House of Representatives of the All Progressives Congress (APC), invaded polling units in most parts of the constituency leaving many half-dead in the pool of their own blood. CP Rabiu also aided in the illegal coercion of collation officers at private residences and the Sentiero Hotel located along the Airport Road.

“In the early hours of the election day, the people of Ngor Okpala had begun to turn out en masse to exercise their franchise and elect their representative in the Imo State House of Assembly. Unknown to them, Hope Uzodinma and his cohorts had covertly perfected an evil plot to prevent the people from exercising their constitutional mandate.

“On the eve of the election, Uzodinma personally mobilised truckloads of security agencies – police, DSS, Navy, Airforce armed thugs and Hopism Strike Force (HSF) to invade Ngor Okpala LGA and unleashed mayhem on the electorate. These armed groups operated freely, maiming, shooting sporadically, abducted staff of INEC and agents of the PDP, carted away electoral materials and result sheets. It was a clear case of declaration of war on the people of Ngor Okpala and a total invasion in one of the freest and fairest elections in the history of the local government.

“In over fifty polling units, out of 193 Polling Units, electoral materials were forcefully carted with INEC ad hoc staff and taken to Sentiero Hotel along the Sam Mbakwe Airport Road to thumbprint ballot papers and write results in favour of the APC.

“A few of the areas affected by this electoral fraud include: ward 1 – 008 and 016, ward 2 – 015, ward 3 – 002, ward 4 – 005 and 010, ward 5 – 002, 006, 011 ward 6 – 001, 003, 007, 008,009, 011, ward 8 – 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, 011, ward 11 – 002, 004, 010 and 012; and many others,” he stated.

Ugwu said: “It is pertinent to note that there was massive unimaginable intimidation of voters in all the booths across the 11 wards of Ngor Okpala using uniformed policemen attached to the Speaker of the house of the assembly and his colleagues who beat up opposition party men and party agents, chased them away and openly engaged in vote buying and inducement contrary to sections 128 (a&b) of the newly signed Electoral Act.”

This desperate criminal act, according to him, is clearly in contravention of the provisions of Sections 25 to 60 of the Electoral Act as amended.

“We, therefore, condemn in strong terms the unprofessional and anti democratic conduct of these institutions of state and their agents which is an affront on the integrity of the new electoral act.

“It is important that Nigerians note the unabetting impunity perpetrated by Uzodinma. It is on record that Uzodinma has in his criminal desperation to assume power in the state, inflicted a very deep cut on our democracy. This time, his antics will fail. This new low has made it incontrovertible that democracy is imperiled in Imo State, and this cannot be allowed to happen.

“We therefore call on the INEC to out-rightly cancel the Saturday, February 26, 2022 bye-election in Ngor Okpala, as any outcome from such a barbaric invasion and warfare will only reflect the manipulations of Uzodinma and his band of electoral fraudsters, and not the will of Ngor Okpala people.

“We call on INEC to order an immediate recount of all the materials and votes and reconcile them with the b-vas data. We further call on the commission to direct its head of operations, Fidelis Uguru to ensure the security and safety of all the materials and data deployed in the Ngor Okpala bye election to ensure a thorough recount as any story of loss of material or destruction of materials will be prove ongoing suspicions of compromise by the commission,” he submitted.

The PDP boss in the state, however, called on INEC to take steps to immediately move for the arrest and prosecution of all those implicated in the electoral fraud as contained in the electoral act and save our democracy both within and outside the state.