By Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to announce the already collated results of the February 23, 2019 Imo North Senatorial election, as well as March 9 rerun poll, in which it claimed its candidate, Hon. Ndubueze Patrick, was in clear lead.
The party urged INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to douse the tension in Imo State by directing the declaration of the final results and return of its candidate who has been legitimately elected by the people of Imo North to represent them at the Senate.
The party in a statement Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, cautioned that the continuous delay in announcing the final result, after returns have been established at the polling units, wards and Local Governments levels was already heightening tension in the state.
He said that party believed that the commission had completed its investigation on the documents and results of the rerun election, which established PDP’s victory in that election.
Ologbondiyan stated, “This is more so as the results have been moved to INEC headquarters in Abuja following the harassment of INEC officials in Imo State by agents of the losing All Progressives Congress (APC) and Action Alliance (AA).
“From the collated results in the February 23 elections, the PDP won in all the Local Governments in Imo North before polls in two local governments; Isiala Mbano and Ehime Mbano were cancelled and scheduled for rerun.
“Already, from the results declared, the PDP led in Okigwe, Onuimo, Obowo and Ihite/Uboma Local Government Areas with 21, 254, ahead of APC and AA, which scored 12,756 and 12,236 respectively.
“At the March 9 rerun elections, when the AA and the APC realised that the PDP was winning, they resorted to mutilation and alteration of results, particularly with the collaboration of collation officers in Ehime Mbano, before the intervention of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who called for proper scrutiny of documents following protests by the people.”
