Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the governorship and state assembly election results in the South-south geopolitical zone as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The governorship election results so far released by INEC showed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won in three states of South-south: Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta States, while that of Rivers and Bayelsa are yet to be concluded.
In a statement issued yesterday, the APC’s National Vice Chairman, South-south zone, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, said the election results did not reflect the wishes and wills of the people as they expressed at various polling units.
He said: “We have observed with great disappointment the ugly developments in the just concluded governorship and state House of Assembly elections held on March 9, 2019, and the subsequent release of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for states of the South -south geopolitical zone: Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta States.
“We wish to categorically state that the results released by INEC are not a reflection of the wishes and wills of the people as they expressed at various polling units.”
He said the leadership of APC had received several complaints to the effect that in areas where the party held sway and won the elections at the unit levels the various returning officers of the states, in connivance with agents of the PDP, cancelled results of such areas of the party’s strength.
He alleged that there were also reports that where elections could not hold due to violence, results were announced in favour of the PDP.
He added, “furthermore, in some units where the card readers failed, results were also allocated to such areas, and subsequently announced in favour of the PDP. Sadly, there are reported cases of box snatching in areas of APC strongholds, results are announced in favour of the PDP.
“It is incomprehensible that INEC could allow itself to be so used to usurp the collective mandate of the people and this is equated to a broad day light robbery, and this is unacceptable.”
