imo state gubernatorial election

Imo State Governorship Election
Crisis: Plans To Upturn The
Sacred Wish Of The People Of The
State Will Be Calamitous If
Allowed-
We are compelled to write Your
Commission over the above
subject matter based on
unfolding events in Imo State of
Nigeria. As Your Commission is
aware, plans are actively on to
upturn the sacred electoral
decision of the great people of
the State with respect to her April
26, 2011 governorship poll,
which has been declared
inconclusive by Your Commission.
Our Ref: Intersociety/
Vol.03/04/2011/INEC/ABJ/NG
Professor Attahiru Jega
28/04/2011
Chairman
Independent National Electoral
Commission
INEC ’s National Headquarters
Zambezi Crescent
FCT, Abuja
Dear Sir,
Imo State Governorship Election
Crisis: Plans To Upturn The
Sacred Wish Of The People Of The
State Will Be Calamitous If
Allowed
We are compelled to write Your
Commission over the above
subject matter based on
unfolding events in Imo State of
Nigeria. As Your Commission is
aware, plans are actively on to
upturn the sacred electoral
decision of the great people of
the State with respect to her April
26, 2011 governorship poll,
which has been declared
inconclusive by Your Commission.
Your Commission, through its
relevant officers in Imo State,
including the Resident Electoral
Commissioner for the State,
Professor Celine Omagha Oko
(08033802349), had on the said
date declared official results in
23 out of the State’s 27 Local
Government Areas, with Chief
Rochas Okorocha and his Party,
APGA, leading in 12 LGAs and
Chief Ikedi Ohakim and his Party,
PDP, leading in 11 LGAs. The said
State Governorship Returning
Officer, who is also the State REC,
had at the end of the
announcement, declared the
governorship election
inconclusive on the grounds that
elections did not hold in Ngo/
Okpala LGA. He also declared as
inconclusive elections that took
place in Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta
and Mbaitolu LGAs and Orji area
of Owerri, the capital city.
According to him, the
inconclusive nature of the
governorship poll was as a result
of the substantial number of the
registered voters in the affected
areas. He informed those that
gathered at the State’s INEC
Headquarters, including millions
of Nigerians watching the
proceedings through the
electronic media that
“Abuja” (Your Commission’s
Headquarters) would take a final
decision on the matter.
But our findings showed that in
Ngo/Okpala LGA, election, indeed,
could not take place owing to
violence and plan to manipulate
the exercise. In Ohaji/Egbema
and Oguta LGAs, elections were
reportedly inconclusive due to
vote manipulation and allied
criminal acts. Similar thing
reportedly happened in Orji area
of Owerri, the capital city of Imo
State. In Mbaitolu LGA, election
conclusively took place, but the
Returning Officer for the LGA said
otherwise at the State’s INEC
Headquarters, where he
informed the REC that “there
were no results” from the said
LGA. Even when most of the party
agents present, who worked in
the LGA reportedly, insisted that
the contrary was the case and
showed INEC’s forms bearing the
entire results duly signed by him,
he reportedly stood his ground.
In the said results declared by
the REC in the 23 LGAs, APGA and
its candidate led with over
25,000 votes. Voters in Imo State,
particularly, those in Ngo/Okpala
LGA and parts of Oguta, Ohaji/
Egbema and the Orji area of
Owerri were deliberately denied
the public knowledge of what
would happen next in an alleged
bid by powers that be to return
the incumbent governor allegedly
by crooked means. There were
even unconfirmed reports of
massive thumb-printing of ballot
papers at certain locations in
Ngo/Okpala LGA allegedly in the
night of April 27, 2011 so as to
effect the alleged criminal return
of the incumbent in the events of
a re-run, which was suspected to
be held today being Thursday,
April 28, 2011. Many also
believed that results returned in
favour of the said incumbent in
many of the 11 LGAs were
manufactured and did not
originate from the voters of Imo
State.
As it stands now, the entire
exercise is thrown into
confusion and nobody knows
what would be the end-result
except Your Commission comes
out with final categorical
position. This dire situation gives
room for further manipulations
by the said desperate politicians
and heightening of tensions. To
compound the problem the
more, rumours have it that the
purported re-run has been
scheduled to take place on
Saturday, April 30, 2011 but the
constitutionality of such exercise
is another round of confusion if
true. Our intense fear is that the
riggers may catch in on this
confused situation to perfect
their sinful and criminal plans of
subverting the sacred wish of
the great people of Imo State.
Sustained confusions such as
these may demoralize these
voters and such rooms must not
be allowed by Your Commission.
As it is now, hundreds of armed
soldiers and other security
personnel are ready for a show
down with tens of thousands of
Imo residents who have
positioned themselves in
strategic parts of the State’s
capital city in the spirit of
“keeping vigil for credible
election”. These gallant
defenders of democracy have
refused to leave until their sacred
electoral choice is respected.
During the 2007 governorship
election in the State, this rape of
democracy was similarly
perpetrated when the
announcement of the results was
suddenly stopped after results in
18 out of the State’s 27 LGAs had
been announced. The poll was
re-scheduled to April 28, 2007
which, socially speaking,
fraudulently produced the
incumbent governor.
Today, this dark history is being
repeated under Your Headship of
the “re-branded” Commission.
Though, accusing fingers are
pointing at the Presidency, but
this is clearly a test case for Your
Commission. Incumbents in
governorship and legislative
positions have lost their
positions in Ogun, Nasarawa and
Oyo States etc, yet heaven did not
fall. It is our warning that Imo
State may go up in flames unless
people’s sacred wish are
respected and upheld. We call on
Your Commission to do the right
thing just like it did in the
Anambra Central Senatorial
District recently by compelling
Your Commission’s top
substantive and adhoc staffers in
Imo State including the REC (Prof.
Celine Oko) to report to Your
Commission’s Headquarters with
all the materials for the said
election. As a matter of fact, Your
Commission’s Headquarters
should take over and investigate
the entire exercise with a view to
nipping the anomalies in the bud
once and for all and to the
satisfaction of the majority of the
gallant voters of Imo State of
Nigeria.
Similarly, Your Commission
should release the results of the
Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo
Federal Constituency in Anambra
State and declare and return the
winner. We have a credible
report that the Returning Officer,
Dr. Martin Ifeanyi (08037200407)
was announcing the final results
of the leading contestants on
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at the
Nnewi INEC office/collation
center, when the PDP’s multiple
candidates for the election, Julius
Ofoma and Tony Nwabunike
reportedly rushed him, grabbed
and tore the result sheets with
which the results were being
announced. The third multiple
candidate is Mr. Vincent Dike, but
he did not participate in the
dastardly act.
The alleged culprits were
arrested on the orders of ACP
John Nwaele (08037221167), the
Nnewi Area Commander and
moved to the Anambra State
Police Headquarters, Awka, at the
instance of the State
Commissioner of Police for
election duties, CP Indambawa
(08032002676) who also
publicly confirmed the incident.
Shockingly, plans to move them
to Abuja for prosecution were
reportedly thwarted allegedly at
the instance of the Ubas and the
Ukachukwus, said to be their
alleged sponsors.
In the final results collated in the
three LGAs that make up the
Federal Constituency (Nnewi
South, Nnewi North and
Ekwusigo), Mr. Chris Emeka
Azubogu of APGA reportedly led
his main opponents(s) (the PDP’s
three multiple candidates) with
over 7,000 votes. The said three
multiple candidates, two of
whom perpetrated the dastardly
act, had flimsily insisted on a re-
run based on the cancellation of
the election in Akwa-ihedi
Community, a community with
less than 3,000 registered voters,
which cannot, in the eyes of the
law, invalidate the said over
7,000 votes gap. We call Your
Commission to declare Mr. Chris
Emeka Azubogu of APGA winner
and have him duly returned. It is
also our call that Your
Commission should investigate
and prosecute,if culpable, the
duo of Julius Ofoma and Tony
Nwabunike for relevant electoral
offenses.
We sincerely hope that our letter
will be given an expeditious
attention?
Yours Faithfully,
For: Intersociety, Nigeria
Emeka Umeagbalasi
Chairman
Board of Trustees
Phone: +234(0) 8033601078
Email: botchairman@intersociety-
ng-org
Website: www.intersociety-
ng.org
Comrade Justus Ijeoma
Head
Publicity Desk
Phone: +234(0) 8037114869
CC:
1. The Resident Electoral
Commissioner for Anambra State
2. The Resident Electoral
Commissioner for Imo State