The Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu has faulted the Independent National Electoral CommissionINEC for declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA Enyinnaya Abaribe, as the winner of the Abia South Senatorial election.
He disclosed this through the PDP collation agent Charles Esonu, today.
He disclosed that the affected units have 200,000 cumulative voters, more than the votes of all parties.
Ikpeazu marvelled at why Abaribe was declared winner in the election after the electoral body affirmed polls were not conducted in 108 polling units in Obingwa, Aba South and Abia North.
The governor alleged that more than 50,000 supporters of the PDP could not exercise their franchise due to the non-provision and late arrival of electoral materials in the district’s Local Government Areas.
He added that there were several mutilations on the result from Aba South LGA, while many units in Aba South were cancelled.
He further noted that the Returning Officer, Prof. Georgina Ugwuanyi, at the collation centre at Constitution Crescent primary school, Aba, declared the election inconclusive due to a substantial number of polling units, totalling 108 which had issues requiring a rescheduled election.
Esonu disclosed he told the Returning Officer not to declare any winner because of the margin of lead between the first and second candidates although Abaribe was leading with 6,000 votes.
You will recall that INEC, on Tuesday, declared Abaribe winner with 49,693 votes while Ikpeazu polled 28,422 votes.
