Resist Attempt To Smuggle Results And Declare Winners In Abia, Enugu – Intersociety Warns INEC

International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resist the attempt to comprise in declaring the rightful winner of the governorship elections conducted in Abia State and Enugu State respectively.

VerseNews Nigeria reports that INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee Barrister Festus Okoye on Monday, March 21 announced the postponement of the collation of results following the invassion of thugs at the collation centre.

The affected Local Government Areas (LGAs) are Nkanu East of Enugu and Obingwa of Abia State respectively.

In a statement released on Tuesday, March 21and signed by the principal officers – Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Joy and Chidinma Udegbunam, , the group state that after proper investigation, they that the real reason for the postponement is an attempt by gubernatorial incumbents in the two states to smuggle in magic results into the main results so as to outnumber and corner the majority results to their favoured candidates.

“Intersociety has investigated and found that the real issues in contention and at the center of controversy involving Nkanu East of Enugu and Obingwa of Abia Governorship results’ conundrum are desperate attempts by gubernatorial incumbents in the two states to smuggle in magic results into the main results so as to outnumber and corner the majority results to their favoured candidates,” the statement reads.

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The society also noted the allegations that there were manufactured and non-merit results awarded to the Labour Party (LP) candidate against the incumbent Governor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nkanu East LGA of Enugu.

“This is more so when the manufactured results are strongly believed to be far above the total registered or accredited voters with PVCs in Nkanu East, Enugu State and Obingwa, Abia State. There was also a counter accusation by Enugu Government incumbents that the results of Nsukka Local Government Area were “awarded” or “manufactured” for Labor Party Candidate to the tune of “30,000 votes” as against “10,000” given to PDP Candidate; leading to alleged retaliation by the Enugu Government incumbents awarding “30,000 votes” to their preferred Candidate in Nkanu East Local Government Area.

“It is instructive to note that Nsukka Local Government Area is a cosmopolitan and most populated LGA in Enugu State, if not in the South-East. It is also one of the largest recipients of the monthly federated revenue allocations. Nkanu East, on its part, is a small rural area mostly populated by sedentary inhabitants; with a striking portion of its rural dwellers displaced by jihadist activities of the Fulani herdsmen. 

“It was further discovered that the “30,000 magic votes” in Nkanu East constitutes more than half of its 15, 000 registered PVC/accredited voters. In Obingwa, Abia State, the “72,000 magic votes” being smuggled in constitutes three times higher than its’23,000’ PVC holders/accredited voters,” it statement added.

The pro-democracy and rights organization however commends the Collation Officers for Enugu, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe and Abia, Prof Nnenna Oti, for refusing to compromise their positions in the eyes of law, Intersociety warned that the results of the two governorship polls must not be tampered with or brutally suppressed.