Jega…INEC boss
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Anambra State Governorship election held on Saturday as inconclusive.
The decision to declare the election inconclusive was as a result of the voiding of a large number of votes by the commission during counting. INEC said the total number of votes cancelled was much more than the difference between the candidate with the highest number of votes and the runner up.
However, the results declared by the commission showed that the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Chief Willie Obiano was coasting to victory having polled 174, 710 votes while Comrade Tony Nwoye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 94, 354 just as Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressive Congress (APC) polled 92, 300 votes.
But the APC, PDP, and Labour Party candidates in a joint statement on Sunday, called for the cancellation of the election citing irregularities.
The Chairman of the commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, had also in an interview with a local television station admitted that the election had hiccups, especially in Idemili North local government, where he said the electoral officer connived with outside interests to sabotage and subvert the electoral process.
In their joint statement, the losing candidates of three out of the four major parties, which contested the Saturday governorship poll called for the total cancellation of the election the election.
The candidates, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi (Labour Party), Mr. Tony Nwoye (Peoples Democratic Party) and Dr. Chris Ngige (All Progressive Congress) signed the joint communiqué Sunday evening in Awka, the Anambra state capital.
According to the communiqué, the candidates asked INEC to cancel the entire election because of:
· Gross Manipulation of the Voters Register leading to gross disfranchisement of thousands of innocent voters.
· Illegal removal of results sheets, doctoring of result sheets, illegal removal of ballot booklets and thumb-printing of the said ballot papers.
· Harassment and intimidation of Polling Agents by security officials and party thugs.
Use of a Voters Register in some Local Government Councils different from Voters Register (INEC) made available to candidates.
· Late arrival of electoral materials.
· Manipulating of results in many polling units where no polling took place
The three candidates maintained that the “sham election does not reflect the wishes and aspirations of the Anambra voters”, and called for the outright cancellation of the election. To back up their claim that the election was manipulated, they cited “the public admission by Prof. Attahiru Jega, the INEC chairman, that some INEC staffs sabotaged the conduct of the election.”
Jega had admitted that some INEC staff were involved in unlawful acts while on a live programme of the African Independent Television (AIT) station on Sunday afternoon when he was explaining why voting materials arrived late at some polling booths, saying that the suspects have been handed over to the Police for investigation and arraignment. The communiqué held that INEC should have cancelled and rescheduled the election the moment it learnt of the irregularities by some its own staff.
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