CSOs Allege Plans to Harvest, Write Imo Election Results

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

A Coalition of Civil Society Groups has alleged that there are plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to harvest and write results of the Imo State governorship election in the favour of the incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma.

In a joint press conference that was held in Enugu yesterday, the groups, which included the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) and South-east based coalition of Democracy and Human Rights Organisations, said that available pieces of evidence and realities suggested that the commission does not plan to organise an election that is free, fair, credible and secure.

Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Intersociety, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, who addressed the press conference, said that the winner of the November 11 election in Imo State, if conducted freely and fairly, would not score more than 90,000-130,000 votes out of about 300,000 lawful votes. 

Umeagbalasi said: “We arrived at this projection after considering the fears, chaos and bloodletting that have gripped the state since January 2021 in which more than half of the state’ 27 local government areas are deeply affected.”

He said that 1.8 million (out of the state’ 2.4 million PVC holders) of the registered voting population have been uprooted and forced out of their voting areas, leaving the state with only 600,000 eligible voters, out of which 300,000 may maximally vote.

“Unless extreme lawful measures are timely taken, Nigerians and other international democracy watchers should expect the return of the incumbent as the winner who polled 500,000- one million votes,” he said.

He noted that the coalition had written letters to some critical stakeholders, including the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) the National Security Adviser, (NSA) the Chief of Army Staff, (CAS), director general of the State Security Service (DSS), and the chairman of the INEC and the Chief of Defense Staff, (CDS).

He, however, regretted that none of the issues he raised in the letters like the need to ensure that collation centres are outside the arenas under the influence of the state government, timely overhaul of some security departments in the state and the provision of security for Imo voters and protection of their votes were attended to.