Two opposition governorship candidates in Imo state, Senator Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Senator Athan Achonu of the Labour Party (LP) jointly issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday, urging the cancellation of the recent Imo governorship election held last Saturday.
Expressing their concerns in Owerri, the candidates cited alleged massive rigging and the diversion of electoral materials to private residences, including instances of thumbprinting.
The outcome of the election declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent governor of the state, Senator Hope Uzodimma, as the winner.
Senator Achonu emphasized irregularities, stating, “Results were already uploaded before 10 am, even while voting was ongoing. Electoral officers were reportedly sharing money with other INEC officials, providing them with pre-written results for upload.”
Calling for a comprehensive review or outright cancellation, Senator Achonu revealed that the LP Chairman had urged INEC to verify their IREV for authentic results. He accused INEC of predetermined planning, asserting, “They did not listen to him because they had planned it.”
On his part, Senator Anywanwu expressed deep disappointment, saying, “I feel so ashamed about what INEC has done. The election was not a fair process, as empty vehicles were moved to Owerri for voters from Orsu LGA. They utilized armored vehicles and security operatives for these irregularities.”
Questioning the credibility of the results, Anyanwu highlighted anomalies, such as Orlu providing about 18,000 votes.
He condemned the election, characterizing it as a war, and asserted, “Over 70 percent witnessed no collation of results. This is a PDP state, where the governorship election took two days to conduct.”
Anyanwu issued a stern ultimatum, declaring, “INEC has seven days to review these elections or cancel outrightly.”
