Abia Government Demands Immediate Sack Of INEC Returning Officer As LP’s Alex Otti Leads PDP With 93,000 Votes
The state government says the LP candidate is attempting to use strong-arm tactics, blackmail, and violence as instruments for “fraudulent power acquisition.”
The Abia State Government has tackled Labour Party (LP) candidate Alex Otti over his allegation that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu are plotting to rig the governorship election.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy Abia State, Eze Chikamnayo, in a statement on Tuesday, accused Otti of brandishing false claims and instigating innocent citizens.
Chikamnayo said the LP candidate is attempting to use strong-arm tactics, blackmail, and violence as instruments for what he termed as fraudulent power acquisition.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should also fire the state Returning Officer, Mrs Nnenna Ott, over alleged familial ties to the LP candidate.
“The Returning Officer, Mrs Nnenna Otti is alleged to be Alex Otti’s Cousin. She must be removed immediately as she cannot continue to sit as a Judge in her own matter.
“Her open display of sentiments during the collation process has given her out as a participant not an unbiased umpire.”
Ejes Gist News had earlier reported that the result announced by the State Returning Officer, Nnenna Oti, indicated that Otti is leading by a wide margin after winning 10 of the 16 local government areas in the state.
On the other hand, Okey Ahiwe, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate won in five local government areas.
The results collated from the 16 LGAs showed Otti is leading with 172, 246 votes while his main challenger, Ahiwe of the PDP, polled a total of 78,628 votes.
The difference in the margin between the LP and the PDP candidates stands at 93,618 votes.
It is, however, unclear how PDP could win about 94, 000 voters without LP securing additional votes.
The contentious Obingwa LGA has 157, 390, registered voters, out of which 154, 966 voters collected Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, but only 26, 845 voters were accredited for the exercise in the area during the March 18 election.
See the full statement below:
PRESS STATEMENT
WHY INEC WILL NOT COMMIT ILLEGALITY TO SATISFY ALEX OTTI ‘S DESPERATION FOR POWER.
The Government of Abia State and indeed all peace loving Abians has now become convinced that Mr Alex Otti, one of the contestants in the just concluded Gubernatorial elections of 18th March, 2023, is going about brandishing false claims and instigating innocent citizens in his futile bid to continue his notorious resort to armtwisting, blatant blackmail and violence as instruments for fraudulent power acquisition.
First, If Alex Otti and his wishful co – conspirators are Democrats, they will admit that it is illegal to stampede INEC Nigeria to announce a winner while the process of collation of results is still ongoing.
Secondly, INEC should use the BVAS Machines to check the figures on the Result Sheets Form EC8As for all the Local Government Areas. By so doing, they will find that the entire Results being brandished by Mr Alex Otti and his cohorts are falsified and thus cancel all the false results. INEC WILL NOT SINGLE OUT ONE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OUT OF SEVENTEEN TO SATISFY MR ALEX OTTI.
Thirdly, Labour Party’s rigging was massive and mind-boggling. Pray, where did Alex Otti get those figures they are brandishing in Arochukwu LGA, Ohafia LGA, Umuahia North LGA, Umuahia South LGA and Osisioma LGA ?
Fourthly, the Returning Officer, Mrs Nnenna Otti is alleged to be Alex Otti’s Cousin. She must be removed immediately as she cannot continue to sit as a Judge in her own matter. Her open display of sentiments during the collation process has given her out as a participant not an unbiased umpire.
Therefore, if there is any such thing as REVIEW OF RESULTS, INEC should review all the Local Governments or cancel the entire state election and of course remove the returning officer Prof Otti; who is a cousin to one of the Candidates.
It was because the Returning Officer, Mrs Otti has obvious vested interest and bias which facilitated changing of results that she has collated Local Government Areas that promote her Candidate, Mr Alex Otti while calling for a so called review of the traditional strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Such blatant and flagrant disregard for equity, justice and fairness is a threat to Democracy, peace and security of our Dear State.
INEC WILL NOT BE DISCRIMINATORY. INEC will apply same rules to every Local Government Area involved in this Gubernatorial Elections without bias and or preferential treatment to any individual or Political Party.
Signed:
Barr. Eze Chikamnayo
Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy Abia State
