By Olugbenga Salami
House of Representatives member-elect for Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, said he has uncovered an alleged plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to force its officers resume collations of Saturday’s supplementary elections in the state and declare winners with already established fake results containing votes above Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS accreditation records.
Specifically, Ugochinyere accused the electoral umpire in a statement he personally signed and issued on Sunday of trying to force the collation officers to return to Ideato South, Isu, Ahiazu and Mbaitolu/Ikeduru Local Government Areas of the state “which are under siege due to yesterday’s flawed supplementary elections held in Imo State.”
According to him, the directive was approved by the INEC’s Federal Commissioner, Ken Ukeagu and the Imo Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Prof. Sylvia Agu who said that all collation officers, “who narrowly escaped being killed during Imo supplementary elections for refusing to upload fake results with fake accreditation figures, should all return to the supplementary elections local government headquarters of Ideato South, Isu, Ahiazu Mbaise and Mbaitolu/Ikeduru.”
The lawmaker-elect, who said he had prepared an emergency petition to the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu over the matter, warned that “end to BVAS is near if the results are announced with fake accreditation figures by sending INEC collation staff back into the waiting hands of armed thugs currently at the four local government areas headquarters who are waiting for their arrival to force them to announce the result without BVAS accreditation.”
Ugochinyere added that the APC, with verified BVAS accreditation backend records/results from the polling units have lost all the supplementary elections in Ideato South, Isu, Ahiazu, Mbaitolu to the opposition parties Accord, PDP and the Labour Party in Saturday’s supplementary elections.
He particularly stated that “the evidence of BVAS accreditation showed that the total voters who turned out and were accredited by BVAS was not enough to top the leading margins of Vitalis Azodo of Accord Party in Ideato South, Modestus Osakwe of PDP in Isu, Rex Okoro of PDP in Ahiazu (if all the accreditation for all the polling units are re-verified) and Uche Ogbuagu of the Labour Party in Mbaitolu Ikeduru.”
“This is criminal and a violation of Section 64 of Electoral Act. Let INEC first collate the result at their Imo State office where Prof. Sylvia and Ken Ukeagu are monitoring the election by using BVAS accredited figures to verify all the results before sending out their own staff again to be attacked by these blood thirsty APC losers or give room for their staff to be made to criminally declare fake results with fake accreditation figures outside what BVAS recorded.
“Imo people and Nigerians will not forgive INEC if the mandates Imo people gave the real winners of Imo supplementary elections are taken away by APC with plan to announce fake accreditation figures.
“I (Ugochinyere) have seen the BVAS figures and came to the undisputable calculation that Vitalis Azodo of Accord Party won Ideato South State Assembly election, as BVAS accreditation total was not up to his leading margin, Modestus Osakwe of PDP won in Isu constituency, as the total BVAS accreditation couldn’t pass his leading margin, Rex Okoro of PDP won Ahaizu Mbaise state constituency election.
“The nine polling units are deemed cancelled as votes recorded are all above accreditation figures and verification of earlier transmitted results will show numerous polling units with over voting against BVAS records , and Uche Ogbuagu of Labour Party won Mbaitolu Ikeduru election as his leading margin was maintained after BVAS accredited votes could not even near his already leading margin.
“INEC, please declare the leading candidates as winners and stop the plot to send back collation officers without adequate security to the LGA headquarters which is now under siege by armed militia supported by criminals in the Police and Army uniforms.
“With Imo supplementary elections, Nigerians are watching to see the usefulness or uselessness of the INEC BVAS technology and readiness of INEC to continue to exist as an institution that can be trusted. INEC chair, Prof. Yakubu Mahmoud should reach out to the Imo REC and Federal Commissioner who are all in Imo State to ensure the right thing is done this morning before shameless electoral thieves destroy INEC and our democracy. The time to act is now,” he further stated.
