Awogu, APGA Candidate Wants INEC To Conclude Election In Ogbaru Federal Constituency
Mr Arinzechukwu Awgu, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for Ogbaru Federal Constituency in Anambra has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections in sreas where it did not hold on Feb. 25.
Awogu told newsmen on Thursday that no fewer than 27, 000 prospective voters in 46 polling units did not cast votes because of the inability of INEC to deploy officials and materials to the locations.
He said the number of votes in the outstanding areas was significant enough to affect the eventual result of the Constituency and urged the electoral body to hold a supplementary election to accommodate the people.
Awogu further said that the results so far released, was heavily inflated in favour of the Labour Party candidate, Mr Afam Ogene with serious mutilations.
“A closer scrutiny of some of the result sheets released revealed cases of inflation of votes in favour of the Labour Party
“For instance, in PU 05 (Iyiowa/Odekpe/Ohita ward), where the score was as follows in the result sheet, APGA:(45), LP(10) and PDP (12) but they entered:APGA (53), LP( 256) and PDP( 57) in the collation sheet.
“Also in PU 015 (Iyiowa/Odekpe/Ohita ward), the BIVAS result showed: APGA(97), LP (20) and PDP(68) but they entered: APGA (97), LP:(202) and PDP (68)
“The rigging and manipulation by the Labour Party was widespread in the House of Representatives election of Ogbaru Federal Constituency.
“We are therefore calling for. recollation of the results from Polling Units and a rerun of the affected Polling Units,” he said.
Awogu said the Electoral Act, (64) (6) stipulated that ‘during collation of results, where there is a dispute regarding a collated result or the result of an election from any polling unit, the collation officer or returning officer shall take steps to determine the actual including recollation.
According to him, election was not conducted in 46 polling units in Ogbaru Federal Constituency election, Anambra state, with over 27, 000 PVC collected voters and also have mutilations, widespread irregularities and falsification of results.
Meanwhile, INEC has said it was yet to take a decision on the inconclusive election for Ogbaru Federal Constituency.
Mr Ikechukwu Kingsley, Public Relations Officer of INEC in Anambra said the Commission had not taken a definite decision on how to bring the process to conclusion.h
The final result of the election conducted in the Federal Constituency on Feb. 25 is yet to be announced for alleged discrepancies and non conduct of the exercise in some locations with substantial vote that could affect the final outcome.
