Otti: Breaking PDP’s 24yr grip on Abia

Victor Nze

Candidate of the Labour Party in the Saturday, March 18 governorship election in Abia State, Dr Alex Otti has trounced incumbent State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu’s former Chief of Staff, Okechukwu Ambrose Ahiwe, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, by over 86,902 votes.

Labour Party toppled PDP after 24 years in the driving seat at the Abia Government House in Umuahia, the state capital, and also in the majority at the State House of Assembly.

At the end of the 2023 General Elections, the Labour Party has now taken one senatorial seat, out of a possible three; five House of Representatives constituencies, out of a possible six; and now the governorship seat.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which had announced the results after four days of conclusion of voting in the governorship and state Assembly elections, said the LP candidate beat of the challenge of his PDP challenger by 86,902 votes

The Abia governorship poll had drawn much tension and anxiety across the country as residents and political stakeholders alike had expressed worry over the delay in announcing the results, especially on the back of evidence that the LP candidate, Otti was clearly in the lead with less than six local government areas remaining to be declared.

Moreso, as party agents of the LP had submitted filed their reports which further indicated that the opposition party was in the lead and coasting to victory in the elections.

Midway through the collation of the results at the Obingwa council office of INEC, Sunday, reports emerged which claimed that the incumbent governor, Ikpeazu had stormed the centre accompanied by the state police commissioner, and some unidentified thugs, over unspecified complaints in the collation of election results.

The governor hails from Obingwa local government area of the state, and it remains a party stronghold.

Consequent upon the invasion of the centre by the governor’s thugs, INEC abruptly shifted collation to the next day, Monday.

However, conspiracy theories started emerging when on Monday, INEC officials declined to resume collation of results, as they further moved the process from the morning to evening and even shutting out journalists.

Conspiracy theories gained momentum with another controversial report by the Returning Officer in Abia State, Professor Nnenna Oti had claimed that the INEC Chairman ‘personally called her and gave her directives on guidelines to follow in ensuring that Abia governorship election results were collated based on some criteria but that on her own she has decided that the will of Abia voters would not be subverted under her watch.’

Before then, on Monday, another viral video posted online showed an official of the commission in protective gear was granting an open interview where he claimed that some thugs had attempted forcing him to doctor election results for Obingwa council, the refusal to which he claimed to have received severe beatings.

On Tuesday, it was learnt that further collation of results collation had been moved to Abuja where the results would be announced from there. This followed the summoning of top INEC officials to Abuja to brief the commission on the situation report.

Meanwhile the Labour Party, alongside an indigenous group in Abia frowned at the development playing out with the delay in the announcement of elections results in Enugu and Abia states following the surprise decision by INEC to suspend further collation of results.

Reacting to the development, Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, condemned the action of the INEC, while tasking with fast tracking the process so as to avert tension and anxiety among the people, as, according to him, further delay will question the commission’s intent and credibility of the election.

“Having carefully followed the unfolding events relating to the gubernatorial elections in the two states, let me categorically emphasize the imperative of releasing the gubernatorial election results of Abia and Enugu States immediately.

“I am aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission said they are reviewing the collation of the results in these two States. However, I would like to urge them to accelerate action on this, as their continued delay is questioning INEC’s intent and the credibility of the election,” Obi state in a statement by the Obi-Datti office.

He expressed disappointment that 48 hours after the elections were conducted, it is disheartening that the commission is yet to resolve whatever issues that are holding back the release of the results.

“The records of the elections from polling units should not be difficult to calculate if the electoral officials are committed to the integrity of the exercise in line with the stipulated guidelines.”

Also, a grassroots-based group in Abia, the League of Ohuhu Sons, claimed that the current confusion over the situation in the state is caused by INEC, insisting ‘the current stalemate is contrived.’

The group, in a statement signed by Barr. Chuks Akamadu (Convener) Chief Eboh Duke Ihekwereme (Chairman), H/Chief Victor Ikeji (Secretary), and Dr. Emeka Nwosu (Chair, Publicity Committee), urged INEC ‘to ensure that the expressed will of the people of Abia in this election is respected.’

“It is important to note that results have been received from 16 out of the 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State, remaining Obingwa where the ruling PDP in Abia State is seeking to push through fictitious votes in its favour to illegally wipe the unassailable lead by Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party. Out of the results officially declared by INEC, PDP won only in 5 LGAs while the Labour Party won in 10 with YPP winning in one LGA. Our question is: Why is it taking INEC this long to take a simple decision of proclaiming Dr. Alex Otti winner after his overwhelming victories in all parts of Abia State?

“The current stalemate is contrived, and it is the bounden duty of INEC to ensure that the expressed will of the people of Abia in this election is respected. The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu and his team in Abuja should not do anything that would subvert the will of the people of Abia State. The mandate given to Dr. Otti must stand. Anything to the contrary should not be contemplated, at all. Otherwise, Abians may have no option but to take to the streets to stop PDP from stealing the mandate freely given to Dr. Otti,” the statement by the group read.

On Tuesday, INEC was compelled to issue a rebuttal, denying any plot to manipulate the Abia polls in favour of the PDP.

The commission also denied that its National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was working in collusion with the ruling PDP in the state to upturn the outcome of the poll, saying he ‘never called the Abia Returning Officer to give her a directive.’

Making the clarification, Tuesday, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the only communication sent to the Abia State Returning Officer was the commission’s advice on the decision to suspend collation of results.

“The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu never called the Returning Officer to give her a directive. Rather, the Returning Officer wanted the official communication on the Commission’s decision to suspend the collation of results in Abia State.

The Chairman then directed that pending the delivery of the hard copies, the soft copies of the Commission’s letter be forwarded immediately to the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Enugu State and the Administrative Secretary of Abia State.

“The Returning Officer for Abia State then directed that the contents of the letter be read aloud by the Administrative Secretary in the presence of agents of political parties, observers, the media and security personnel at the Collation Centre.

“This is what is now being mischievously interpreted as a directive to the Returning Officer on some phantom criteria at variance with the approved guidelines. There is nothing like that.

“In fact, the content of the letter is basically the same as the Commission’s Press Release dated Monday 20th March 2023 which has since been uploaded to the Commission’s social media platforms and is already in the public domain. The public should disregard the story as fake news.”

INEC was responding to viral report which quoted the Abia State RO as claiming that the Chairman, Prof Yakubu ‘personally called her.’

According to the RO,  the chairman called her ‘and  gave her directives on guidelines to follow in ensuring that Abia governorship election results were collated based on some criteria but that on her own she has decided that the will of Abia voters would not be subverted under her watch.’

Announcing the final results, Wednesday evening, four days after the election had taken place, INEC also released the results from the controversial Obingwa local government area in Abia.

According to the Returning Officer for Abia State governorship election, Prof. Nnenna Otti, total votes cast in Abia governorship is as follows: PDP – 88,529; YPP – 28,972; APC – 24,142; APGA – 17,879; APP – 10,933; A – 1,518; and LP – 175,431 (Winner with margin of 86,902 votes).