From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, yesterday denied social media comments attributed to him, alleging he rejected the outcome of the Saturday’s Anambra governorship election.
Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor and candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chukwuma Soludo, had won 18 out of the 20 local government areas so far declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Valentine Ozigbo, and Ifeanyi Uba of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) won one local government area each while the APC candidate, Andy Uba, could not win in any of the local government areas.
INEC has fixed today to conclude the election in Ihiala Local Government Area where election could not hold on Saturday.
As Nigerians were waiting for the conclusion of the election, social media on Sunday became awash with a quoted statement attributed to Governor Umahi, wherein he accused Governor Willie Obiano and the APGA government in Anambra State of rigging out the APC candidate in favour of Soludo.
But, in a statement, yesterday, by the Special Assistant to Governor Umahi on Media and Publicity, Francis Nwaze, Umahi described the comment as fake and the handiwork of mischief makers
“Our attention has been drawn to an infantile Facebook post on the timeline of one Chijinkem, alleging that Governor Umahi declared the last Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra was fret with irregularities.
“The poster equally implied that the governor rejects the outcome on behalf of APC, and people of Anambra State and threatened to seek redress.
“Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered responding to the ill-fated post by the attention-seeking fellow but we have elected to clear the doubt of some discerning minds.
“First, Governor Umahi, at no point, made such remarks about the Anambra State governorship election.
“It is, however, uncomplimentary to imagine the governor speaking on behalf of the standard-bearer of the APC and a party that has a full-fledged structure, moreover, in an election that its outcome has not been concluded by INEC.
“Going by the foregoing, we hereby urge the public to disregard the post as it has no iota of truth in it.
“We also like to use this medium to remind the poster and other social media purveyors of fake news that the state law on fake news is very much in place to deal with potential recalcitrants.
“The public is advised to ignore the post as it did not emanate from Ebonyi State governor,” he said in the statement.