By Sylvester Idowu in Warri
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State has said it would not accept the outcome of the Governorship and State House of Assembly held last Saturday across the state.
It, however, called for outright cancellation of the elections, noting that the exercise was marred by massive rigging and violence.
The State Chairman of APC, Prophet Jones Erue told journalists at a press briefing at his Effurun residence in Uvwie Local Government Area of the state yesterday that his party would challenge the result.
Erue said the party would approach the Election Petition Tribunal should the electoral umpire refused to cancel the election which produced incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the winner.
He noted that the exercise was marred with a lot of irregularities across the 25 local government areas of the state, alleging that PDP and its candidates were aided by the security operatives.
“You all witnessed an electoral process where soldiers aided PDP thugs to hijack ballot boxes and materials in collaboration with the presiding officers and thumb print them for the PDP.
“Our people were not allowed to enter any collation centres, our agents were treated as enemies of electoral process.
“The whole place was militarised against APC and results were changed at will in many of the polling and collation centres while their APC agents denied access into collation areas”, he said.
According to Erue, “For example, at Emede Ward 5 unit 2, soldiers aided the destruction of that unit at about 10:00 am. Ballot boxes and ballot papers were carted away.
“We managed to complete the election and at the end of the day, APC had 4323 votes, 1134 votes for PDP house of assembly.”
He stated further that, “Our members were brutalised, Presiding Officers were collaborating with PDP to undo us. In Warri south and Warri South West, materials didn’t get to most polling units.”
