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• Political observes say 2015 scenario playing out
As results of the Abia State governorship elections are being collated at the local government headquarters, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that thugs have overrun its office at Obingwa Local Government Area in the state.
Obingwa is the home LGA of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and its result is critical in the governorship election.
According to INEC, in a tweet on its Twitter hande, “thugs have invaded our Obingwa Local Government Area office in Abia State. Security agencies have been alerted. The Commission is monitoring the situation and will issue a statement shortly.”
A party agent who was at the Obingwa LGA said top officials of the Abia State government visited the INEC collation centre earlier in the day before the thugs’ attack.
Opposition party members, especially from the Labour Party (LP), have cried out over the development, while calling on INEC to ensure that the integrity of the results coming from the LGA was preserved.
Political observers said the same scenario played out in 2015 governorship election.
According to them, then candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Alex Otti, who is the LP candidate in the current election, was leading the PDP candidate, Dr. Ikpeazu, now governor in the 2015 governorship election, only for huge votes from Obingwa to turn the table.
The electoral officer in Obingwa at that time had canceled the results from the local government area over discrepancies, only to reinstate the result at the dying minute.
The officer was believed to have been threatened by officials of the Abia State government and topshots of the PDP who stormed the collation centre, warranting his recant of earlier cancelation of results from Obingwa LGA.
