Awka, Anambra state – Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state has raised the alarm over alleged plan by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to declare written results of the governorship election in 10 local government areas.
He made the allegation on Friday evening, November 5, through the commissioner for information and public enlightenment, C Don Adinuba, The Nation reported.
Below are the LGAs where the governor claimed the APC has allegedly written results for:
- Onitsha North
- Onitsha South
- Aguata
- Orumba South
- Orumba North
- Idemili North
- Idemili South
- Ogbaru
- Anambra East
- Anambra West
The statement noted that the listed LGAs are those with high numbers of registered voters.
It reads in part:
“APC operatives are relying on compromised Independent National Electronic Commission (INEC) officials, who smuggled out the result sheets of a number of polling units two nights ago and the result sheets of some LGAs last night, to accept and announce the results, regardless of authentic results submitted by INEC officials electronically.
“They plan to capitalise on the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has yet to assent to the new Electoral Bill which makes electronic voting mandatory to perpetrate the fraud.”
The governor said the statement was to alert INEC, the security agencies, journalists, election observers, civil society organizations and the international community of the alleged grand plot.
APC reacts
However, the APC has dismissed the governor’s claim as the alarm of a sinking boat.
The director of media and publicity of Senator Andy Uba campaign organization, Hon Victor Ogene, said the allegation from APGA had exposed their plans in the election.
He said because they were afraid of their shadows, they had resorted in raising false alarm to deceive the public, adding that the prayer of APC had started manifesting.
His words:
“They know they have failed and disappointed Ndi Anambra and they have equally seen the handwriting on the wall. They should come out openly and apologize to the people for their failure in 16 years in Anambra.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alkali Usman Baba, has removed the Deputy Inspector General, DIG Joseph Egbunike as the head of the security team for the Anambra governorship election a few hours to the exercise on Saturday, November 6.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, has confirmed that DIG Egbunike has been redeployed, but adduced no reason for the removal of the senior officer who is an indigene of Anambra state.
The zonal police public relations officer, Princess Nkeiruka Nwode, however, said DIG Egbunike did not resign as reported in some quarters.
Observer group alerts INEC, says politicians inducing voters with Ankara, N1,500
In a related development, an election observer group, Yiaga Africa, has accused politicians of inducing voters with gift items and monetary gifts ahead of the Anambra poll.
The group disclosed this at a press briefing attended by a Legit.ng reporter in Awka on Friday, November 6.
Reading the summary of findings from Yiaga Africa’s pre-election observation, its executive director, Samson Itodo, said:
“Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote (WTV) observers tracked incidents of voter inducements manifested through the distribution of money or gift items. Generally, the campaigns were bereft of policy debates.”
