Labour Party Stakeholders Want INEC to Declare Alex Otti Winner

Labour Party (LP) stakeholders in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State have commended the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review election results in the area.

Recall that the local government had been in the news lately following media reports that thugs invaded INEC collation centre in the area.

The stakeholders said the desperation of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain in power was giving the area a bad image.

In a statement issued yesterday and jointly signed by the Chairman, Obingwa West Stakeholders of LP, Dr. Eric Egwuibe and the Coordinator, LP, Obingwa west Constituency, Maxwell Nwadike, also called on the electoral umpire to immediately declare the governorship candidate of the party, Dr. Alex Otti as the winner of the election.

It said: “We note with dismay the desperation of the PDP in Abia State to perpetuate itself in power at all cost even when the people of Abia State have collectively rejected them and sent them packing in the Saturday, March 18, Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

“Having failed everywhere in the State, the PDP has refused to give up on Obingwa LGA. It will be recalled that one of us, Dr. George Chiedozie, the Labour Party Local Government Collation agent was brutally beaten by the PDP thugs at the collation centre at Mgboko, the Council’s headquarters Saturday night.”

The stakeholders said most regrettable was the election results from the local government area that were highly doctored beyond the accredited number of voters in the local government.

The stakeholders stressed that needless to say that the reports of the criminal incidents had since reached the INEC headquarters in Abuja, which had also promised to review the results and do the right thing.

“We welcome and commend INEC for this bold decision to correct the anomalies. We believe that the review will filter the padded results and restore the correct figures,” it added.