From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Imo State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has called for the immediate removal of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Sylvia Agu, over what it described as high alleged irregularities in the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
Briefing reporters on Monday, the state chairman of the party, Ambrose Onyekwere claimed that candidates of the party won their respective positions they contested for but accused the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and the State government of conniving to deny them victory.
Onyekwere pointed out that at Mbaitoli council area which he said has 287 polling units, elections were held in all the electoral wards with the exception of Amike ward with 19 polling units and one polling unit each from Ogwa ward 2 and Ezinihite ward due to the absence of INEC officials.
According to him, from the outcome of the election LP won in all the polling units from the Presidency to the House of Representatives. But he added that the failure of INEC to upload and transmit all the results collated showed clearly the “failure and insincerity of both the State government and INEC”.
He further alleged that the party also won a landslide in Owerri municipal polling units but agents of the ruling party chased the party agents away and changed the results to favour their party.
Onyekwere said it was a similar situation in the Okigwe council area, where elections did not hold in 7 of its 11 electoral wards election due to insecurity and the absence of INEC officials; and that despite this, the APC candidate, he alleged, was declared the winner.
“We interpret the actions of INEC as a deliberate and systematic disenfranchisement of the citizens of the State. We call for the immediate removal of the REC, all EOs and SPOs in Imo State.
“We reject in advance any and all results for the house assembly elections scheduled for 11/3 /23 if conducted by the current REC, Professor Sylvia Agu, and her team,” Onyekwere said.