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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatotrial candidate for Abia Central, Hon Sam Onuigbo has faulted the Independent National Electorial Commission (INEC) for excluding the party’s name on the result sheet of last Saturday’s election in the area.
In a result declared the returning officer, Darlington Nwokocha of Labour Party (LP), polled 92,116 to defeat the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okwudiri Akobundu who came second with a total number of 41,447 while APC’s Samuel Onuigbo scored 7,997 to come third.
Addressing journalists in Umuahia, Onuigbo who currently the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia in the House of Representatives said INEC’s conduct of last Saturday’s Elections left much to be desired.
Onuigbo accused the electoral umpire of failing in it’s statutory responsibility of ensuring free, fair and credible poll.
“It is disheartening to inform you that INEC failed to include the name of my party on the result sheet for the 2023 Abia Central Senatorial Election, consequently the documentation of my scores in the Election was shambolic.
“This made a mess of people’s votes for me and left our votes at the mercy of Presiding Officers who chose to either leave out the result, record it among the invalid votes or in rare cases create a column with their own hands to enter it.
Onuigbo who was cleared by the Supreme Court to contest the election in January, said the omission shouldn’t have arisen since INEC uploaded his name on it’s Portal as the Senatorial Candidate for APC on 22nd December 2022 after his Court of Appeal victory on November 30, 2022.
“The question now remains why was my name be missing on the Result Sheet?
This puzzle should be resolved by INEC and the leadership of my Party, APC that made no effort to correct the anormaly at the appropriate time.
“Let me state in clear terms that I reject in its totality the strange figure of 7,997 votes as manufactured and allocated to me and my party by INEC in an effort to save their face”.
While assuring he was consulting with his lawyers on the appropriate response “to this grave omission”, he urged his supporters to remain calm.
