By Sadiq Abubakar, Abuja.
A group, under the auspices of the Amalgamated Union of Imo State Professionals (AUIMP) on Thursday, stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) amid protest to call for issuance of certificate of return to the APC candidates for Ideato south and Ideato north state constituency of the state, Mr Okechkwu Udeze and Joshua Duhu respectively.
The group, in their hundreds who converged in front of INEC headquarters and carried placards with inscription, “Fetus Okoye and Ken Ukagu should leave Imo State and allow democracy to thrive” Fetus stop manipulating election results of Imo State” Fetus Okoye the evil behind PDP political manipulations and rigging in Imo state”.
Addressing newsmen on behalf of the protesters, the state organizing secretary of APC in the state, Mr Ikechukwu Sunday Umeh, said they came from Imo state to complain to the INEC chairman, Mahmud Yakubu that despite state assembly elections could not hold in some polling units for Ideato north constituency, PDP candidate was declared winner.
He said that there were 196 polling units in Ideato north constituency, which he claimed that election could not hold in 56 of the polling units and a PDP candidate was declared for Ideato north state constituency.
“And when we went to INEC, we said please, see what happened in the local government, the REC of Imo state wanted to go for a review and they said there was a directive from Abuja, that any aggrieved candidate should go to court, that the election will no be reviewed,” he said.
Umeh, said despite they chooses to remain calm as a law abiding citizens, saying it was surprising when fielding candidates for both Ideato north and south, in which he claimed that candidates of the APC won the two local governments and were declared winners.
“And until the day when certificate of return were being issued by the state REC, that was when we heard that somebody directed from Abuja, that those two local government should not be issued out. And our APC candidates for the two local government for Ideato north and south constituencies were not given their certificate of return as I speak to you,” he said.
He, therefore, accused the INEC spokesman, Barrister Fetus Okoye and Ukaga Kenneth, to be behind the travails of the two APC candidates for Ideato north and south constituencies, while he called on INEC to issue certificate of return to the two candidates that were earlier declared winners.
The INEC deputy director in charge of security, Mrs Ndidi Okafor, who addressed the group on behalf of the commission, commended them for conducting themselves in a peaceful and matured manner without rancor.
She, therefore, assured them that she will channel their complaints to the appropriate authorities to urgent action as soon as work resumes next week after the Easter holiday.
