Sophia Michaels
The Labour Party in Imo State has made a new vow following the recent elections.
The party vowed to challenge the declaration of Governor Hope Uzodimma as the winner of the Saturday’s governorship election held in the state.
At a press conference in Owerri, the state capital, the LP chairman in the state, Callistus Ihejiagwa, said that the process that brought Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress as the reelected governor of the state was faulty and full of electoral irregularities.
He said that the security operatives allegedly aided the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the members of the APC to manipulate the poll in favour of Uzodimma.
The LP chairman said that from the actual result cast, its candidate, Athan Achonu, won the election.
He described the poll as a daylight robbery and a rape of democracy.
According to him, it was surprising that INEC could produce results in places where there were no accreditation of voters.
He said that elections didn’t take place in most places in Orsu, Orlu, Ideato North, Okigwe, Oguta, Owerri municipal, yet INEC in collaboration with APC and security agents allegedly wrote results.
He also faulted the returning officer, Prof Abayomi Fasina of the University of Oye, Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State, for failing to address the LP petition before going on to collate the results and returned Uzodimma as the winner of the election.
Ihejiagwa said, “What happened in Imo State on Saturday was a sham. It was shameful how the security agents provided INEC staff and APC members the protection to rig the election.
“From our records, our candidate, Senator Athan Achonu won the election. We will challenge the announcement of Hope Uzodimma as the winner of the election in court. If anybody keeps quiet, of course the Labour Party and our candidate won’t. We clearly won the election. We will retrieve our mandate in court.”
