Abia: Finding a common ground in today’s supplementary polls
By Levinus Nwabughiogu
Left to either of them, today’s polls are inconsequential. They both won the first election on April
Left to either of them, today’s polls are inconsequential. They both won the first election on April
Left
to either of them, today’s polls are inconsequential. They both won the first
election on April
11. And today’s supplementary
election makes no sense to them.
This was the position of the ruling
People’s Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA,
at the last count. But because, the independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC had taken a decision and announced the rerun, both parties swallowed hard.
Their resolve to partake in the run was reluctant as each of them continued to
lay claim of the victory of the previous election.
A Professor’s double-speak
Controversy started when mid way
into the collation of results, the State Returning Officer, Professor Benjamin
Ozumba who is incidentally the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, canceled the election in three local government areas namely Osisioma
Ngwa, Obingwa and Isialangwa Local Governments, citing irregularities.
He was later to reverse himself to
the chagrin of all and sundry. Yet in another breathe, the election was
declared inconclusive. Days after, a new date, which is today was fixed for the
supplementary election holding in some polling units across 9 local government
areas.
The new battle grounds are: Aba
North, Aba South,Ikwuano, Ohafia, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, Umuahia South, Umuahia
North and Umunneochi. Meanwhile, in the approved results, Ikpeazu of PDP
polled 248, 459, while Dr. Alex Otti of APGA got 165,
406 votes, leaving APGA trailing by 83,053. Baring his mind on the
supplementary election, Ikpeazu said it was INEC that has forced them back to
the field.
Ikpeazu’s grouse
“We won that election but they have
asked for a re-run in certain areas they have cancelled at the state level. We
are watching to see what those who sent them to Abia will do about it.
APGA and APC’s stand
Similarly, in an interview with
Journalists, the national chairman of the APGA, Chief Victor Umeh said APGA won
the election. But while both parties bicker, their APC counter-part, Dr. Anyim
Nyerere has taken a diffident position. Even though, they are going back to the
contest, Nyerere doesn’t want the election to hold. Therefore, he has requested
for outright cancellation of the elections, saying that what transpired on
April 11 was a rigging competition between APGA and PDP. According to him, the
will of the people did not prevail in the polls.
He said: “With due respect I don’t
know if I might sound out of context not to refer it as an election. I will say
it was a rigging competition in Abia state because there is a difference
between election and rigging. What actually took place in Abia state on the
11th of April was not election but rigging because everything that has to
do with election was quite absent.”The competition was between APGA and PDP.
You see, we are talking about a situation in this time of our democratic
dispensation were in most polling units, there were no result sheets. In most
polling units ballot boxes were snatched with impunity. I don’t think it
happened elsewhere because the degree of lawlessness, impunity in Abia state, I
don’t think any other part of the country witnessed such.”
Nyerere also accused INEC officials
and security of aiding and abetting unfortunate situation, saying it was
responsible for the present crisis in the state.
“They just bugled the whole results
straight to the local government headquarters where fierce looking security men
just allowed few people they wanted inside the hall. Agents of other parties
especially the APC agents were never allowed to come near until they finished
whatever they wanted to do.”They are covering up something and those things by
God’s grace will be exposed one day”, he said.
Nyerere maintained that no single
local government area in the state could be isolated from massive malpractice,
even as he called for total cancellation of the election. “So the only path of
honour is to have the election cancelled. Where will you spare? The 17 local
government areas had the same problems; one polling unit, two polling units in
all the wards had irregularities. We went to the chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission telling them our position, describing in details
what actually transpired and what I expect them to do is to investigate and as
I have said, the only path of honour for INEC is to cancel the election and
start it all over.”
11. And today’s supplementary election makes no sense to them.
This was the position of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, at the last count. But because, the independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had taken a decision and announced the rerun, both parties swallowed hard. Their resolve to partake in the run was reluctant as each of them continued to lay claim of the victory of the previous election.
A Professor’s double-speak
Controversy started when mid way into the collation of results, the State Returning Officer, Professor Benjamin Ozumba who is incidentally the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, canceled the election in three local government areas namely Osisioma Ngwa, Obingwa and Isialangwa Local Governments, citing irregularities.
He was later to reverse himself to the chagrin of all and sundry. Yet in another breathe, the election was declared inconclusive. Days after, a new date, which is today was fixed for the supplementary election holding in some polling units across 9 local government areas.
The new battle grounds are: Aba North, Aba South,Ikwuano, Ohafia, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, Umuahia South, Umuahia North and Umunneochi. Meanwhile, in the approved results, Ikpeazu of PDP polled 248, 459, while Dr. Alex Otti of APGA got 165, 406 votes, leaving APGA trailing by 83,053. Baring his mind on the supplementary election, Ikpeazu said it was INEC that has forced them back to the field.
Ikpeazu’s grouse
“We won that election but they have asked for a re-run in certain areas they have cancelled at the state level. We are watching to see what those who sent them to Abia will do about it.
APGA and APC’s stand
Similarly, in an interview with Journalists, the national chairman of the APGA, Chief Victor Umeh said APGA won the election. But while both parties bicker, their APC counter-part, Dr. Anyim Nyerere has taken a diffident position. Even though, they are going back to the contest, Nyerere doesn’t want the election to hold. Therefore, he has requested for outright cancellation of the elections, saying that what transpired on April 11 was a rigging competition between APGA and PDP. According to him, the will of the people did not prevail in the polls.
He said: “With due respect I don’t know if I might sound out of context not to refer it as an election. I will say it was a rigging competition in Abia state because there is a difference between election and rigging. What actually took place in Abia state on the 11th of April was not election but rigging because everything that has to do with election was quite absent.”The competition was between APGA and PDP. You see, we are talking about a situation in this time of our democratic dispensation were in most polling units, there were no result sheets. In most polling units ballot boxes were snatched with impunity. I don’t think it happened elsewhere because the degree of lawlessness, impunity in Abia state, I don’t think any other part of the country witnessed such.”
Nyerere also accused INEC officials and security of aiding and abetting unfortunate situation, saying it was responsible for the present crisis in the state.
“They just bugled the whole results straight to the local government headquarters where fierce looking security men just allowed few people they wanted inside the hall. Agents of other parties especially the APC agents were never allowed to come near until they finished whatever they wanted to do.”They are covering up something and those things by God’s grace will be exposed one day”, he said.
Nyerere maintained that no single local government area in the state could be isolated from massive malpractice, even as he called for total cancellation of the election. “So the only path of honour is to have the election cancelled. Where will you spare? The 17 local government areas had the same problems; one polling unit, two polling units in all the wards had irregularities. We went to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission telling them our position, describing in details what actually transpired and what I expect them to do is to investigate and as I have said, the only path of honour for INEC is to cancel the election and start it all over.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/abia-finding-a-common-ground-in-todays-supplementary-polls/#sthash.kdSdRTSa.dpuf
This was the position of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, at the last count. But because, the independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had taken a decision and announced the rerun, both parties swallowed hard. Their resolve to partake in the run was reluctant as each of them continued to lay claim of the victory of the previous election.
A Professor’s double-speak
Controversy started when mid way into the collation of results, the State Returning Officer, Professor Benjamin Ozumba who is incidentally the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, canceled the election in three local government areas namely Osisioma Ngwa, Obingwa and Isialangwa Local Governments, citing irregularities.
He was later to reverse himself to the chagrin of all and sundry. Yet in another breathe, the election was declared inconclusive. Days after, a new date, which is today was fixed for the supplementary election holding in some polling units across 9 local government areas.
The new battle grounds are: Aba North, Aba South,Ikwuano, Ohafia, Osisioma, Ugwunagbo, Umuahia South, Umuahia North and Umunneochi. Meanwhile, in the approved results, Ikpeazu of PDP polled 248, 459, while Dr. Alex Otti of APGA got 165, 406 votes, leaving APGA trailing by 83,053. Baring his mind on the supplementary election, Ikpeazu said it was INEC that has forced them back to the field.
Ikpeazu’s grouse
“We won that election but they have asked for a re-run in certain areas they have cancelled at the state level. We are watching to see what those who sent them to Abia will do about it.
APGA and APC’s stand
Similarly, in an interview with Journalists, the national chairman of the APGA, Chief Victor Umeh said APGA won the election. But while both parties bicker, their APC counter-part, Dr. Anyim Nyerere has taken a diffident position. Even though, they are going back to the contest, Nyerere doesn’t want the election to hold. Therefore, he has requested for outright cancellation of the elections, saying that what transpired on April 11 was a rigging competition between APGA and PDP. According to him, the will of the people did not prevail in the polls.
He said: “With due respect I don’t know if I might sound out of context not to refer it as an election. I will say it was a rigging competition in Abia state because there is a difference between election and rigging. What actually took place in Abia state on the 11th of April was not election but rigging because everything that has to do with election was quite absent.”The competition was between APGA and PDP. You see, we are talking about a situation in this time of our democratic dispensation were in most polling units, there were no result sheets. In most polling units ballot boxes were snatched with impunity. I don’t think it happened elsewhere because the degree of lawlessness, impunity in Abia state, I don’t think any other part of the country witnessed such.”
Nyerere also accused INEC officials and security of aiding and abetting unfortunate situation, saying it was responsible for the present crisis in the state.
“They just bugled the whole results straight to the local government headquarters where fierce looking security men just allowed few people they wanted inside the hall. Agents of other parties especially the APC agents were never allowed to come near until they finished whatever they wanted to do.”They are covering up something and those things by God’s grace will be exposed one day”, he said.
Nyerere maintained that no single local government area in the state could be isolated from massive malpractice, even as he called for total cancellation of the election. “So the only path of honour is to have the election cancelled. Where will you spare? The 17 local government areas had the same problems; one polling unit, two polling units in all the wards had irregularities. We went to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission telling them our position, describing in details what actually transpired and what I expect them to do is to investigate and as I have said, the only path of honour for INEC is to cancel the election and start it all over.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/abia-finding-a-common-ground-in-todays-supplementary-polls/#sthash.kdSdRTSa.dpuf
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