Group condemns alleged plot by INEC to deny Ebonyi lawmaker’s court process

From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

Igbo Democratic Alliance, (IDA) has condemned the alleged plot by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (ESIEC) to deny the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the February 3rd, 2024 bye-election for Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone, Silas Onu of his right to appeal against the declared winner of the polls, professor Anthony Ani of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Court.

A statement by the President General of the group, Comrade Ernest Nmong said it frowned at the alleged increase in price of a Certified True Copy from N10 to 300 in other to dissuade him from filing the appeal.

According to him, “After INEC in Ebonyi connived to bring an insane court action against him, leading to a bizarre judgment delivered two days to election, they are now actively ensuring that he does not get the electoral materials necessary for filing his petition.

“He applied for CTC and since then, it has been one story to another. They charged N300 per page for CTC, while that amount for CTC is and has remained N10 per page. Then they sent a private account number of one Ibrahim for the payment of the N300 per page for CTC. He has refused to pay and they are not showing up to discharge their duty.

“We have to put this out for the public to see how INEC now have become fully and unpretentiously partisan in the discharge of their duty.

“The HOD legal and the legal officer in charge cannot be above the law and we know precisely what to do in the circumstance.”

Recall that Onu had accused the APC of ballot snatching, multiple thumb printing and vote buying, during the polls.
Prompting him to leave his polling unit after voting owing to provocative activities by the ruling party, in the presence of INEC officials.

Onu had claimed that there was no election in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the State. The election he further claimed was marred with violence and other forms of malpractices.

But the Head of Voter Education, Dr. Christian Elekwa has denied knowledge of the situation, but however, said he was not the right person to speak on the matter but the legal department.