Candidates of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) and the Labour party (LP) in Ebonyi State have rejected the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which returned Governor David Umahi and other APC candidates winners of the national assembly elections conducted on Saturday.
The candidates include Linus Okorie,
Senatorial Candidate of the Labour Party for Ebonyi South; Senator Michael Amah Nnachi, PDP candidate for Ebonyi South and Ifeanyi Eleje, APGA Senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South zone.
Others are Dr. Sam Egwu, PDP candidate Ebonyi North; and Laz Ogbee, PDP candidate Ebonyi Central.
In a joint press conference, the senatorial Candidates alleged intimidation, illegality and allocation of fictitious figures to APC candidates by INEC officials.
Linus Okorie from Ebonyi South while addressing the press at INEC office in Abakaliki on Monday said “it is our pleasure to address you this afternoon as candidates of the three leading political parties that vied for the Ebonyi South Senatorial seat in the Saturday, February 25th, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Ebonyi State. This joint Press conference has become necessary so as to alert Nigerians and the rest of the world about the very strange incidents that culminated into the news of the forceful pronouncements of our opponent and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC Senatorial candidate in the said election and Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi as the ‘winner’ of what is now undoubtedly the most incredible election in the history of the zone, if not in the entire country.”
” As candidates of Labour Party, LP, People’s Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in the challenged election, we have individually raised our complaints in oral and written forms even calling for the suspension of further collation process which became a joke immediately the maniacally manipulated results from Afikpo South and OHANIVO LGAs arrived Afikpo North Council headquarters (the zonal collation centre) accompanied by political thugs of the Umahi-led government in Ebonyi.”