The victory dance of the
incumbent governor of Imo State and
governorship candidate of All Progressives
Congress, APC, Chief Rochas Okorocha,
was cut short
in the early hours of
yesterday as the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, while
declaring the Imo State election result, said
the poll was inconclusive.
Announcing the suspension of the
process, the State Returning Officer, SRO,
Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, explained
that the action stemmed from the
cancellation of 144,715 votes in various
polling booths in about 23 local
government areas.
Ibidapo-Obe also cited complaints of
irregularities that emanated from several
polling booths across the 305 wards of the
state as part of reason for declaring the
election inconclusive.
According to the SRO, Owerri Municipal,
Ideato South, Ideato North and Ahiazu
Mbaise local government areas would not
be subjected to another round of voting.
“All other local government areas had one
type of infringement or the other,” the SRO
said.
“I shall not do any declaration. We have
various cancellations in various units and
wards. ‘’The affected polling units in the
local governments totalled 144,715. The
margin of lead from the two leading parties
is 79,529, and because o this figure, this
election is inconclusive,” he said.
While Governor Okorocha said he was
prepared to go for supplementary election,
the state leadership of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, accused INEC of
reducing the scores of their flag-bearer,
Chief Emeka Ihedioha, in the result collated
and declared at Ezinihitte Mbaise.
He said: “In the case of Oru East Local
Government Area, while stakeholders were
anxiously expecting the result, the INEC-
Electoral Officer, Mrs. Emmanuella Opara,
confessed that she was kidnapped and
taken to a secret location by agents of the
APC candidate, where she was forced at
gunpoint to enter fictitious figures.
