Okey Sampson, Aba
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Abia State chapter, has urged Mao Ohuabunwa of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to accept the result of last Saturday’s election in good faith.
This followed the victory of former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, and other candidates of the party in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The party expressed appreciation to the people of Abia north senatorial district for casting their votes in favour of the party’s candidates.
Describing the well-deserved victory of the APC candidates as good for Abia State, the Secretary of the party in the state, Perfect Okorie, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and other stakeholders for ensuring a credible poll.
Okorie said Kalu will bring succour to the people of the state.
In a statement issued yesterday, and signed by the APC scribe, Okorie lambasted Ohuabunwa for condemning the hitch-free and credible polls, adding that the PDP and its cohorts are calling for the cancellation of the poll due to their inability to frustrate the electoral process.
“The people of Abia north senatorial district have spoken with their votes, with the victory recorded by Dr. Orji Kalu, Benjamin Kalu and Mrs. Nkiru Onyejiocha as Senator, Abia North, members of the House of Representatives for Bende and Isuikwato/Ummuneochi federal constituencies, respectively.
“The will of the people was short-changed in Abia south and Abia central senatorial zones, but necessary steps will be taken to correct the anomalies perpetrated by the PDP in the said zones,” he said.
While urging the people of Abia to come out en masse to vote for Chief Uche Ogah and other APC candidates in the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections, Okorie said the APC would take the state to enviable heights.
In a related development, member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the APC, Prince Benjamin Apugo, has congratulated Kalu over his victory in last Saturday’s presidential and national assembly polls.
He also called for the cancellation of the result of Abia central senatorial district poll.
Speaking from his Nkata Ibeku, Umuahia country home, Apugo said he received with joy the victory of Kalu, which he said was for the good of not only the people of Abia north, but Abia State in general.
Apugo said even before the votes were cast, he was optimistic the former governor was going to sweep the polls, owing to his political savvy, doggedness and popularity.
He said he was particularly happy that Kalu put extra efforts during the campaign period, which he said resulted in turning the fortunes of APC around in Abia north, where the former governor not only won convincingly, but, also, ensured that President Muhammadu Buhari and two candidates of the party for the House of Representatives also won their elections.
“Kalu has done very well, the way he mobilised voters from Abia north to, not only vote for him, but also president Buhari and the House of Representatives candidates is a thing of commendation.”
Describing Kalu as one of the Igbo sons with high political pedigree, Apugo said he has no doubt that the ex-Abia governor would do well as a senator, and advised him to avoid playing to the gallery when he gets to the senate.
Apugo equally congratulated Nkeiruka Onyejiocha, the member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi in the House of Representatives, over her re-election.
He said over the years, the lawmaker has been at the national assembly, she has represented her people so well, which culminated in the massive votes she received last Saturday.
She urged Onyejiocha to continue with the good works she has been doing, stressing that the lawmaker was an embodiment of what womanhood should be.
The APC BoT member called on the INEC to cancel the result of Abia central district, where INEC declared the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Theodore Orji, of the PDP, as the winner of the senatorial seat.
Accusing Orji of conniving with INEC officials in the state to rig election in the area, Apugo alleged that card readers, which were brought to the state for use on February 16, and were already configured to aid PDP’s victory, were deployed in polling units of February 23, without reconfiguration, which he said gave PDP edge over other parties.
Apugo also alleged that apart from late arrival of materials, which was deliberately done to aid PDP rig the election, election did not take place in many units, yet, results were announced.
He said despite all these anomalies, his son, Ikechukwu Apugo, who contested the Ikwuano/Umuahia won the election convincingly but that the PDP candidate was declared winner.
He said the junior Apugo would use all lawful means to reclaim his stolen mandate.
Meanwhile, the state chapter of Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has said INEC has no reason to withhold the announcement of the result of the Aba north/Aba south federal constituency, other than the fact that the outcome of the election favoured the candidate of an opposition party.
The IPAC chairman alleged that card readers did not work in many places, which forced many to vote manually without the completion of incident forms, which he said was contrary to the provisions of the electoral law.
“In all these, all calls put across to the REC were not fruitful. We expect that INEC will not condone any of its staff found culpable in this electoral bazaar, as a deterrent for the rest of the elections in 2019.”
Ehiemere, therefore called on INEC to put its house in order.