Imo: Labour Party Protests Delayed Release of CTC of  Results by INEC

Tony Icheku in Owerri

Imo State chapter of Labour Party (LP) yesterday mobilised its members to a protest at the State secretariat of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Owerri, the State capital, over the delay of the Commission in releasing the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the November 11, 2023 governorship election.

The LP chairman, Mr. Calistus Ihejiagwa, who led members of the opposition party in the protest, accused INEC of trying to frustrate the party from challenging the result of the poll in the court.

The LP members who stormed INEC singing solidarity songs also had placards saying: ‘INEC is supposed not be unbiased’; ‘INEC, Justice delayed is Justice denied’, ‘INEC release CTC’ and ‘INEC should be independent.’

Ihejiagwa, who served as the party’s agent during the collation of results where he was brutalised and battered by thugs said to belong to APC, led the protest in a wheelchair. He told newsmen that the result as declared by INEC was not the true reflection of what transpired at the polling units. He accused the electoral umpire and the security agents of conniving with the ruling APC to compromise the election.

He further accused INEC of employing delay tactics in a bid to frustrate the party from challenging the result of the election at the Elections Petition Tribunal.

 “The first time I came here was on the evening of November 11, I was hale and hearty, strong and I came with my two legs. But I was beaten mercilessly and thrown outside from inside the collation room right in the presence of the State Commissioner of Police, two Federal Commissioners of INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof Sylvia Agu, Heads of Security Chiefs in the state, by thugs brought in by the Imo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice because I had demanded that the right thing should be done.

“Today I am here again on a wheel chair rising from the severe assault by the APC thugs on the evening of 11 November which had affected my spinal cord, demanding from the INEC to give us the CTC of the fake results they used in declaring Senator Hope Uzodimma and they have refused – nine days after the election.

“The National Chairman of the INEC Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, the Federal Commission representing the South East, Ken Ukeagu and the REC, Prof Sylvia Agu have refused to release the CTC after 9 days.

“They mocked Labour Party inside the collation hall that we should go to Court . The Returning Officer, Prof Abayomi Fasina had bluntly told us to go to court. We have applied for the CTC so that we can go to court but the INEC is delaying which is deliberate, just to frustrate us.

“We have come here this afternoon so that the entire world will hear our voice that the INEC is frustrating us, using technical reasons that the delay from is one office or the other.”