There is outrage over what has been described as the fatally flawed governorship election in Anambra State.
Candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) called yesterday for the cancellation of the Saturday election.
The APC said its initial call for a rerun in four local governments had been overtaken by the full report it received from its agents and observers (local and foreign).
It accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of “setting up” a multi-layer arrangement to ensure that most of the would-be voters were disenfranchised.
The APC candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige, said: “We thought it was to be the freest and fairest election, with the presence of soldiers. But the opposite is the case. I hereby call for the total cancellation of the election. Jega should come and conduct it by himself.”
“With what has transpired and the degree of fraud, especially the question of result sheets not being sent with other election materials, we make further demands for the cancellation of the exercise,” Ngige said.
PDP candidate Tony Nwoye said the election was full of irregularities.
Nwoye, who could not vote because his name was missing on the register, said: “Jega knew what went wrong. He simply refused to fix it. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, laid the foundation. But the full blame must go to Jega.”
He added: “What happened in Anambra State on Saturday is a monument fraud. It was a big embarrassment. It shows that we are not in anyway better than we were in the days of Prof. Maurice Iwu. I have never seen an election like this in all my life.
“It was an election whereby soldiers assisted in harassing and chasing away voters. It was scientific (rigging). It was well planned and aptly executed.
“Whatever is the outcome of the election today or any day they choose to announce the result, it is not acceptable to us.”
Speaking on his inability to vote, Nwoye said: “On the eve of the election, an INEC official called to inform me that they had removed my name from the voters list. My unit had over 500 registered voters, but they removed most of the names, including those of my parents. They used the military in rigging the election. This is the worst election I have observed. I have been involved in election matters. As a student leader in 1993, I was involved in Abiola’s election as a party officer. Unfortunately, Jega is not accessible. He made it difficult for us to reach him. As for going to court, I will consult before I take any decision.”
Labour candidate Ifeanyi Ubah, who claimed to have swept the poll in Nnewi, “which is the home town of the symbol of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the late Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu” said he was ready to forfeit his victory in Nnewi for the election to be cancelled because of irregularities.
He said even in Nnewi, where he won, many voters were disenfranchised.
Ubah said Jega’s integrity was at stake for the “shoddy” election he presided over in Anambra State, which, according to him, should have been a model and a shinning example of what to expect in 2015.
Speaking to reporters in Awka yesterday, Ubah said Jega should toe the path of honour by canceling the election.
He said the election in Nnewi, which he said met all the standards required of a good election, should be used as a yardstick to judge the election and, on the basis of that, he be declared the winner since election in other parts of the state fell short of expectation.
“Nnewi election would have been used as the yardstick for other elections in the state. The integrity of Jega is at stake now. It is either he toes the path of honour and cancels the election or he should declare me the winner of the election. I believe that Labour won landslide but n other areas, they disenfranchised people and removed the names of even a party candidate from the voters register,” Ubah said.
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