The results of Saturday's
governorship election in Abia deadlock midway following the reversal of the
cancellation of three local governments results by the Returning Officer, Prof.
Benjamin Ozumba.
Ozumba had announced the
cancellation of results from Osisioma, Obingwa and Isialangwa North Local
Government Areas on the grounds of “incontrovertible evidence of violence'' and
reports from international observers.
The returning office reversed the
decision after Gov. Theodore Orji-led chieftains of PDP consulted with the
Resident Electoral Officer (REC), Prof. Selina Oko and Ozumba.
Ozumba said the cancellation was
reversed due to fresh information concerning the conduct of the election in the
three council areas.
He said that polling centres with
issues would be isolated and decisions taken on them later.
The polling agent of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Ahamdi Nweke, had questioned the
rationale behind the decision by the returning officer to reverse his earlier
pronouncement.
Nweke insisted that elections did
not take place in Osisioma, adding that the party would not accept any result
from the area.
He tendered a hand-written note reportedly
signed by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Habila Joshak, indicating that
electoral materials recovered from the bush in Osisioma were in the police
custody.
Joshak, who was present at the
centre, did not controvert the Nweke's assertion.
Proceedings were later disrupted
after an international observer, Ms Shirle Wilson, from Noble Leadership
Initiative, United Kingdom, testified at the centre that “election did not take
place in Osisioma''.
Wison said that election in the
area was marred by violence and snatching of ballot boxes and other electoral
materials by hoodlums.
The pronouncement heightened
tension at the centre, leading to the adjournment of further announcement of
results.
The controversial result from
Osisioma, which had earlier been announced, showed that PDP scored 42,442,
while APGA polled 1017.
Meanwhile, results from 10 local
government areas have so far been announced.
In his reaction, APGA
governorship candidate Alex Otti described the governor's appearance at the collation
centre as “an abuse of power, designed to intimidate and exert undue influence
on the electoral officials''.
The governor was accompanied by
the Minister of State for Defence, Rtd. Col. Austin Akobundu, PDP's National
Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, and Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, among others.
(NAN).
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