Three Senatorial Candidates have rejected Governor David Nweze Umahi as winner of Ebonyi South Senate Seat.

The candidates include, Rt. Hon. Linus Okorie, Senatorial Candidate of the Labour Party for Ebonyi South, Senator Michael Amah Nnachi, PDP candidate for Ebonyi South Senate and Sir Ifeanyi Eleje, APGA Senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South zone.

In a joint press conference, the three Senatorial Candidates said they have individually raised 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.

According to them, “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.”

OUR COMPLAINTS BEFORE THE ELECTORAL BODY, INEC:

POLLING UNITS WHERE THE COMMISSION FAILED TO CONDUCT ELECTIONS AT ALL

Elections were not conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the following units even though voters waited all day as provided by law.

They include:

(i) Ogboukoro Play Ground (023) Enuagu.

(ii) Ogbuoma Play Ground (024) Enuagu ward. Both units are in Onicha LGA.

B. NON COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 24(3) OF THE ELECTORAL ACT.
Election in the following polling units were disrupted and the Commission failed to conduct fresh elections in those areas as earlier announced by it.

I. Enuagu ward (11-13-05)
(i) Ugwuodida Borehole (017) with large number of registered voters.

(ii) Nwankopa Market Square (022) also with large number of registered voters who turned out

II. Isionicha ward (11-13-07)
(i) Ezebe Play Ground (004) also with a large voting population that were on ground to perform their civic duties.
(ii) Old Nworie Umubo (005)
(iii) Ufuokweke Town Hall (007) with a registration of
(iv) Amaofu Town Hall Umubo (010) with a good voter registration strength.
(v) Umubo Community Primary School (011) with same large number of voters
(vi) Ofuokam Town Hall Umubo ((012) with another large voting population.
(Vii) Eke Achiugo market square (014) with a good voting strength and
(viii) Amanator Civic Centre (016) also with a considerable voting population.

III. Amanator Ward (11-13-03)
(i) Ihuezuku Play Ground (002)
(ii) Umuchima Village Hall (016)
(iii) Ofiaokpu market square (019)

The total registered voters in the 15 polling units in (A) and (B) above are more than the margin of victory in the collated result that is being challenged.

Even though the Commission announced to the whole world that elections shall continue in Ebenyi state today February 26, 2023 in areas where they were either disrupted or could not hold, voters in the above polling units waited all day without officials of the Commission turning up for the conduct.

C. SUPPRESSION OF VOTES IN ONICHA, OHAOZARA, IVO AND AFIKPO SOUTH LGAs BY POLITICAL THUGS WORKING FOR THE RULING APC IN EBONYI.

The votes of the aforementioned political parties, particularly those who were illegally tempered with, reduced or suppressed in some polling units in Onicha, Ohaozara, Ivo and Afikpo South Local Government Areas by political thugs and hoodlums in connivance with some corruptly influenced security agents should be discarded. The following
examples abound:

A. Onicha LGA:
Enuagu ward;

i. Nwafia Ezuku Nwigwe Market square (020). The result where the LP Senatorial candidate scored 100 votes for instance was totally omitted from the ward collation chart, hence from the final result.

ii. Ivo LGA:
The votes of the LP Senatorial candidate was again reduced by 1,148 across the 11 wards of Ivo LGA. These illegally deducted votes were added to the votes of the APC candidate; Engr. David Umahi thereby inflating same.

iii. Ohaozara LGA:
The result of the election in 11 wards of Ohaozara LGA were inflated in favor of the APC candidate by reducing/suppressing mine.

iv. Afikpo North/South LGAs:

The results in 11 wards of Afikpo North and Afikpo South were inflated in favour of the APC candidate by suppressing/reducing those of the acclaimed runner-up, the LP Senatorial candidate for the election.

D. CONDUCTING OF ELECTIONS WITHOUT BVAS IN SOME PUs AND INABILITY TO UPLOAD RESULTS IN MANY PUs DUE TO LACK OF COMPETENCE BY INEC STAFF

In some Polling Units in Afikpo North, Afikpo South and OHANIVO LGAs, there were several instances of INEC officials claiming they forgot to capture voters with the BVAS machines in accordance with Section 47 (2) of the Electoral Act 2022 which states that a person intending to vote shall be verified to be the same person on the Register of Voters by the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) or any other device approved by the Commission, in the manner prescribed in these Regulations and Guidelines.

In Polling Units, 004 and 013, Ezi Nnali and Ndibe Playground in Afikpo North LGA, the INEC Ad-hoc staff had no competence to operate the BVAS machines thus leading to no accreditations. Also, the Ward Collation Officer was unable to record the scores because the BVAS could not boot and APGA which overwhelmingly won in the LGA lost the 125 votes and another 100 votes it scored in both Polling Units in Nkpoghoro Ward.

E. DELIBERATE OMISSION OF SOME PU RESULTS BY INEC AT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COLLATION POINTS

The entire manipulation of the dubiously rigged Ebonyi South Senatorial election began at the Local Government Collation points where some corrupt officials were induced financially and made to inflate and subtract figures from winners in other political parties and added to the ruling APC.

In Amofia and Okuzzu Wards in Ukawu, Onicha LGA for instance, APGA won about 15 out of the 44 Polling Units in the area. To the surprise and chagrin of voters and supporters, no results AT ALL were entered for the Party at the Local Government Collation points.

OUR PRAYERS:

i. We unanimously call for the outright cancellation of the Ebonyi South Senatorial election results held on Saturday February 25, 2023 particularly in the areas so complained of and for same to be re-conducted in a later date in full compliance with the provisions of Section 24 of the electoral act 2022, especially Section 24(3) in the wards and polling units enumerated above.

ii. We equally call for the RE-COLLATION of the polling unit results across the 5 local government areas of the senatorial district before any return can be made and a true winner returned.

iii. We finally demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of these corruptly induced officials of INEC and security agents who were used by the agents of government to perpetrate this heinous electoral crime and rob the people of their mandate in line with Section 115 (1) of the electoral Act which guards against tampering with election materials.

This release is jointly signed and dated this 27th day of February, 2023 by: