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The chieftains of the Labour Party, LP, in Imo state, on Friday stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and protested that the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Sylvia Agu, be removed ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state.
The protest was led by the State Chairman of the LP, Callistus Ihejiagwa, at the INEC’s office located along Owerri-Port Harcourt road in Owerri.
Their reason was hinged on the alleged unacceptable conduct of the INEC’s REC during the last National/State house of Assembly elections, where guild lines for the elections were not duly followed. He insisted that the only way to ensure a credible election in Imo was to remove the REC.
He said: “The only way to ensure a credible governorship election in the state on November 11 was for the commission to immediately redeploy its REC in the state.
“The party is no longer comfortable with the current REC in the State following what we observed during the House of Assembly Elections, and national Assembly elections where INEC guidelines were not followed.
“What we are demanding is very simple, remove the REC and follow the electoral guidelines stipulated by you.We are tired of politicians occupying leadership positions through the backdoor. Enough is enough.
“Our party will continue to be peaceful and will also continue to demand for the right things to be done for the betterment of the State.”
Responding on behalf of the commission, the head, voters education in INEC office in the state, Emmanuella Opara, said thanked the LP party chieftains the way they conducted themselves and reassured the party of the commission’s readiness to conduct peaceful and transparent election in the state on November 11, adding that the commission would never compromise on its duty to conduct credible poll in the state.
