Supplementary Election: Labour Party Accuses APC of Recruiting Thugs to Rig Poll in Imo
Amby Uneze in Owerri
Sequel to the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of inconclusive poll in the February 25 national assembly election in Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency in Imo State, the Labour Party (LP) in the state has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Buba Alkali; the Chief Of Army Staff, General Lucky Irabor; the National Security Adviser, the Director of the Department of Security Services and Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 9 in Umuahia, over an alleged plan to scuttle the supplementary election that would hold in some polling booths this Saturday.
Briefing journalists yesterday, the LP’s Candidate, Mr. Uche Ogbuagu, alleged that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akarachi Amadi; his father, Mr. Charles Amadi and members of his campaign organisation were allegedly intimidating his supporters.
Ogbuagu claimed that the APC’s candidate had intimidated voters during the first ballot on February 25 and has concluded plans to rig the supplementary election on March 11.
Displaying copies of the petitions, the LP’s candidate said that he was confident of victory if the supplementary election is free, fair and credible.
According to him, “I scored 17, 000 votes from the first ballot ahead of the APC’s candidate who came second position with 12,000. Evidences before me prove that, there were colossal attempts made by some callous people on February 25, when elections were held for the president and National Assembly.
“Inspite of the monumental electoral fraud perpetrated on that day, I was comfortably leading with over 17,000 votes, while the next person trailed behind with less than 12, 000 votes. The INEC, eventually declared the election inconclusive since voting did not take place in certain booths and some were cancelled because of irregularities/ violence.”
He alleged further that “it should be noted that so far, elections have been completed and announced in over 80 percent of the polling units that make up Mbaitoli and Ikeduru. One Mr. Charles Amadi, whose son is the APC’s candidate for Mbaitoli and Ikeduru Federal Constituency has been using thugs, armed men in various police and military uniforms and even those in mufti, but heavily armed to coerce and intimidate my people to vote against their conscience.
“At some booths, some people were beaten up and assaulted in my full glare. My uncles, old women, young pregnant and nursing mothers were beaten with several bodily injuries evident.
‘In his home town Eziama, this man, who prides himself as operational leader, even as he is and has never occupied any known elective or appointive position, relocated booth 020 at Owuzor Hall to the residence of his errand boy, one Mr. Chuks Metu, where voting took place without the consent and approval of INEC. He did the same thing at booth 021, Eke Amaehi, with a capacity of 1,382 votes, some of whom are fake and foreign names to Eziama people, he relocated same to his compound and perpetrated all kinds of irregularities.
“In this booth 1,382 voters were registered as copied by INEC’s ICT portal but for purposes of the rerun scheduled for March 11, 2023, this man and his evil cohorts, have falsified the figure to 10,382. I still doubt how a small polling unit in a remote village of Eziama Ikeduru can register even 1000 voters let alone 10,283. In Eziama, there is a near zero presence of foreign elements, as all dwellers know each other by face and name.
“I wonder how the police, army, civil defence e.tc., can attach over 25 men in uniform to a man who is neither elected or appointed government functionary. Too much impunity!”
