Abraham Amah, a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain and ex-Senior Special Adviser to the Abia State government on Labour and Industrial Matter, has attacked the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), over its alleged partisanship and misconduct during the just-concluded 2019 general elections.
He accused the nation’s electoral umpire of violating the guidelines it laid out for the conduct of the election in Abia north senatorial zone.
The PDP chieftain, who spoke in a telephone interview with DAILY POST, Sunday, faulted the INEC’s declaration of Orji Uzor Kalu, the Senatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress(APC), as winner of the February 23 senatorial poll conducted in Abia north zone, expressing optimism that the tribunal will do the needful in ensuring justice prevails.
Recall that DAILY POST had reported that Kalu was declared the winner of Abia North Senatorial District in Saturday’s Presidential/National Assembly elections. The former Governor polled a total 31,203 votes to defeat the incumbent, Ohuabunwa, who polled 20,801 votes and the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief David Ogba Onuoha who scored 11,410 votes.
His words, “INEC did not only violate the law, but, they also worked against their own guidelines on that election. One, INEC in their own result sheets, declared the candidate of the APC, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, winner with ten thousand votes. INEC in the same result sheets, also indicated that a total number of 60 votes was cancelled. By implication, the electoral umpire was not suppose to declare APC candidate (Kalu) winner of that election.
“What was supposed to happen, INEC was supposed to declare that election inconclusive, and then, go for a rerun election. So, it is unfortunate that they failed to do what is needful. It is unfortunate that INEC acted against their own rules. And hopefully, based on the facts available in the result sheet, I do not have any doubt in my mind that the judiciary will do justice by requesting INEC to do a rerun.
“There is nowhere you can declare him (Kalu) winner, when you have also put it on record that over fifty something thousand votes was cancelled, and you are declaring him winner with only ten thousand votes.”
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