From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the just concluded Mbaitoli/Ikeduru federal constituency re-run election, Dr Osmond Ukanacho has rejected the results of the polls accusing the independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), of colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) to write the results.
He vowed to reclaim the mandate in the court since all evidences available to the public showed that the exercise was heavily compromised against PDP.
The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) had on Saturday declared the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), Engr Akarachi Amadi as winner of the contentious election.
Ukanacho who stated on Tuesdays while addressing Journalists , said that INEC was wrong to have taken such hasty decision when it was obvious to everyone that election did not hold in virtually all the 58 polling booths the exercise was supposed to take place as armed thugs invaded several of the polling units and carted away electoral materials .
According to Dr Ukanacho, those who came out to cast their votes for him were harassed, humiliated, intimidated and dispersed by fully loaded thugs suspected to be agents of the ruling APC, and wondered why INEC officials ignored that and still went ahead to announce frivolous result in favour of APC.
He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) announced results of election that never held.
Ukanacho pointed out that in Umunocha Atta, Amike, Eziama, and some parts of Mbieri communities where election were supposed to hold, appointees of the present APC administration were sighted carting away election materials under the full protection of security agents.
He said, “what happened in the re-run election was beyond explanation. Since the history of democracy in Nigeria, the level of thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes, and violence that marred the exercise remain surprising and worrisome. It is now becoming obvious that APC as a party and its agents are afraid of free and fair election. Everyone saw that I won that election, but because, INEC and APC had an understanding that led to the rigging of our mandate”
However, he appealed to PDP members in the federal constituency to remain calm, and law abiding as he vowed to use every legal means to recover the stolen mandate.