Ebonyi PDP rejects election results, heads to court

From Chinedu Nwafor, Abakaliki

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State Chapter,  has rejected the outcome of the Governorship and State Assembly elections in Ebonyi State and vowed to challenge it in the court.

The Acting Chairman of the PDP in the State, Barrister Ifeanyi Nworie, who made the position of the party known in a press conference in Abakaliki, on Thursday, said the ruling APC in the State allegedly perfected a pre-determined charade in collaboration with the Independent National Election Commission ( INEC ) and announced concocted results.

According to him, the outcome of the elections was absolutely condemnable and unacceptable to the party, adding that “INEC never acquitted itself creditably with patriotism and the high sense of responsibility expected of it.”

He further alleged that the ruling APC resorted resorted to electoral manipulations, violence, killings and the desecration of electoral rules.

“The people of Ebonyi State attest to the fact that there is a pall of gloom, disquiet and discontentment in the state since the release of the concocted results which the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ebonyi State manufactured to deny  the PDP candidate his hard-earned victory following his very impressive showing due to his mass followership by Ebonyi people and his state-wide acceptability. They have murdered the sleep of Ebonyians but the murderers will not sleep until they restore the people’s mandate to the legitimate owner.

“Consequently, it has become expedient for us to express our disgust, indignation and dissatisfaction over the spurious manufacture of results that upturned the victory against our illustrious and promising candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii. We unflinchingly state that our candidate was duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast in the election for the office of the Governor of Ebonyi State.

“Our opponents in APC resorted to electoral manipulations, violence, killings and the desecration of electoral rules. In Ezza North LGA, the Chairman of PDP in the Council Area was murdered by elements believed to be APC thugs on election day. The same thing happened in Onicha Igboeze, where a PDP agent was shot dead in similar circumstances. 

“We note that in the build up to the commencement of electioneering campaigns in the country, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) stripped the opposition of level playing field by denying them campaign venues, generated and unleashed multiple modes of conflict and sporadic attacks determinedly perpetrated to perfect disruptions, violence, vandalism, snatching of electoral materials, voter intimidation and suppression, manipulations of results and a plethora of fraudulent practices during the elections. 

“The APC eminently applied the services of the Ebubeagu security operatives which transformed to Neighbourhood Watch to oppress members of the opposition political parties in the state and intimidate voters on the election day.

“The APC, which had ingloriously declared that it would take victory at the polls at all costs, largely and stridently executed their nefarious acts of threats, palpable dislocation of peace and security, and satiated the Ebonyi environment with a pall of fear.

“Notwithstanding, the All Progressives Congress’ declaration of readiness to take victory at all costs, disruption of the process, violence, killings,  ballot box snatching, the people came out owing to their love for our candidate and gave his votes that ought to and should expressly give him victory. Eventually, the APC lived up to their declarations by ingloriously manipulating the results in their favour.

“It is an established fact that electoral processes in other climes are endued with acclaimed standards that accord them acceptability. It naturally flows from actual occurrences of freedom from disenfranchisement, fairness, and credible outcome devoid of doubts. 

“Incidentally but unfortunately, the gamut of the process, from the campaigns to the elections itself, was devoid of universally accepted standard and characterized by APC’s predilection for primitive characteristics and uncivil conducts and mannerisms, all of which are their patent aberrations and political tools  devised to cow opposition to submission and to perpetuate their unpopular political influence in Ebonyi State. 

“In the light of the foregoing, the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi State was marred by irregularities, glaring cases of violent intimidation of the opposition, unlawful management and dispositions of the umpire that rendered them unacceptable and void as it lacked substantial compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, the electoral guidelines and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, the party said.

The PDP claimed that its gubernatorial candidate won the election by the valid votes cast in the election.

“We make it clear that we are absolutely determined to prove that, based on the valid votes cast at the Governorship election of 18th March 2023, the Dr Odii scored the highest number of votes cast at the election and not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the local governments in the state. As such, he ought to be declared and returned as the winner of the Governorship election,” Nworie added.