The People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to review the State House of Assembly results held on Saturday.
Collin’s Opuruozor, the party’s Publicity Secretary in Imo stated this in a press briefing on Monday.
PDP stated that the party won in many council areas but results were rigged to suit the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC in the state.
According to Opuruozor, various riggings and result manipulations in the State were carried out through the full and active involvement of some top corrupt officials within INEC, including the Resident Electoral Commissioner, and the security agencies in Imo State.
Bellow Is The Text
March 20, 2023
Text of World Press Conference by Imo PDP on the Fraud, Travesty and Intolerable Rape of Democracy in Imo State during the Last Saturday’s House of Assembly Elections
Gentlemen of the Press, we welcome you once again to this briefing. It has been a dark moment for democracy in Imo State. Each day brings a new sorrow. Our Party, therefore, deeply appreciates you, our media partners, for standing by Imo people through these perilous times and remaining on the side of truth despite the threats, harassments and attacks from those who control the reins of power in Imo State.
On Wednesday, March 15th, 2023 our Party alerted Nigerians to a grand design by the Governor of the State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, to commit widespread electoral fraud during the House of Assembly elections in the State by writing results and declaring his Party, the APC, winner across all the constituencies in the State. We took a protest to the State Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) here in Owerri to register our concerns and get the Commission to assure us of a free and fair process. Unfortunately, that was not to be, and we have now be justified.
Last Saturday, Imo people went out to vote their choice candidates for the House of Assembly seats across the State. It was supposed to be a seamless and brotherly exercise. For our Party, the wishes of the people must be respected, and so we properly trained all our field workers in the best practices in democratic electioneering.
Earlier, we had presented competent, credible and roundly qualified candidates, and we also campaigned vigorously and spoke to the real issues of concern to Ndimo. Above all else, our unrivaled performance in all the sectors of the State when Imo people massively elected us in 2019 made PDP the darling of the people. So, we went into the elections fully prepared for victory.
By the time voting ended on Saturday and over eighty percent of the results declared at the polling units, it had become clear that PDP won landslide in majority of the twenty-seven constituencies of the State.
Then, the the APC regime of Senator Hope Uzodinma returned with the only option which they know how to do, namely the use of state violence to abduct INEC officials, cart away election materials, falsify results and impose their lackeys on Imo people as winners. This administration of Senator Uzodinma which foundation is rooted in immorality, treachery, usurpation of popular mandate and debasing of democratic institutions and values has finally set Imo State on fire!
At about 9pm in Isu LGA on Saturday, when collation was done by over 90% and PDP had convincingly won the election, well-known APC leaders came in a convoy of over fifty vehicles, two armoured personnel carriers conveying armed military men, Police, Ebubeagu militiamen and thugs. They began to shoot heavily, directly attacking PDP leaders and agents, and in the process Chief Magnus Uzoma, who is the Chairman of Isu LGA Campaign Council of our Party was shot and left badly injured in a pool of blood.
Mr. Charles Osakwe, PDP Collation Agent in the LGA, was also beaten to pulp with guns and machetes and left half dead by APC-backed militiamen. Two PDP youths, Mr. Chigozie Izunwanne and Comrade Chinonso Onwezi, were also attacked and brutalized by APC militiamen, and it is still miraculous that they are alive today. In this way, APC hijacked the results and falsified them just to upturn our victory.
Imo PDP totally condemns this brigandage and brazen robbery of the people’s mandate in Isu LGA. This will never stand!
In Onuimo LGA, where PDP had also won landslide, the same thing was done. Appointees of Senator Hope Uzodinma stormed the collation center with armed thugs, soldiers, policemen and Ebubeagu militiamen, and unleashed mayhem on everyone present at the venue and rewrote the results to give undue victory to the APC.
In Aboh Mbaise, where PDP also recorded landslide victory, APC leaders, top police officers, military personnel and Ebubeagu militiamen struck again at the middle of the night and took away the INEC officials with election materials to Owerri where they rewrote the results for the APC.
In Ideato North, Ihitte Uboma, Oguta, Ohaji-Egbema, Owerri West, Isiala Mbano, Nwangele, Ehime Mbano, Nkwerre, Ezinihitte Mbaise and Njaba, the midnight raids also occured and the electoral mandates freely given to PDP Candidates by their constituents were violently snatched away.
For Orlu LGA, voting materials and INEC officials were not deployed to over sixty percent of the area. Instead, INEC delivered the materials to APC leaders, who congregated at the Orlu LGA Headquarters, and, aided by armed thugs, security agents and Ebubeagu militiamen, they thumbprinted the ballot papers and wrote results for the APC. This also happened in most parts of Orsu, Oru West, Oru East and Okigwe, where elections could not hold because of insecurity. However, in all the relatively safe places where elections held in these LGAs, PDP won convincingly.
In Ahiazu Mbaise, PDP was in a clear and matchless lead when Senator Uzodinma’s agents came with violence and electoral fraud which made the exercise to be declared inconclusive. Yet, these same godless characters in APC are still fighting to get INEC to announce the result in their favour. This is a shame!
It must be stated very clearly that these atrocities against Imo people were committed through the full and active involvement of some top corrupt officials within INEC, including the Resident Electoral Commissioner, and the security agencies in the State. Imo PDP finds this really disheartening!
Our Party, therefore, demands that INEC should in line with the extant provisions of the Electoral Act immediately review the falsified House of Assembly results across Imo State and, without any delay, uphold the authentic results from the polling units and declare PDP candidates winners.
Our Party thanks Imo people for coming out en masse to overwhelmingly elect our candidates. We shall not take for granted your love for PDP and your abiding faith in us. So, we appeal to Imolites to remain calm and law-abiding, as not even a single seat won by PDP shall be stolen from us.
Signed:
Collins Opurozor
State Publicity Secretary
Imo PDP.
