Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Ebonyi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the outcome of last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections conducted in the state.
Consequently, it has called for the outright cancellation if the results.
National Assembly candidates of the party in the state who addressed a press conference in Enugu on Tuesday, alleged that there were widespread irregularities, targeted violence, voter inducement and mutilation of valid votes of the APC.
APC senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Prince Nwaeze Onu who spoke on behalf of others, accused with the security agents and ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of openly collaborating in perpetuating the electoral fraud.
“Owing to the widespread violence targeted at our members before, during and after the just concluded elections and consequent upon some verifiable threats, we hereby make the following statement.
“Massive irregularities and breach of Electoral Act – the presidential and National Assembly elections in Ebonyi witnessed flagrant abuse of the Electoral Act regarding how elections should be conducted. A template that saw the jettisoning of card readers, massive thumb printing of ballot papers, pre-writing of results, denial of party agents access to polling units, use of hoarded PVCs, over voting and violence against party members.
“These were prevalent in Ohaukwu, Ohaozara, Ebonyi, Ivo, Abakaliki, Afikpo South, Afikpo North, Izzi, Ishielu, Ikwo, and Onicha local government areas.
“Mutilation that invalidated valid votes of APC; valid votes got by APC were randomly rendered invalid through double thumb printing on such votes. This was the case in Ohaukwu, Ohaozara, Ebonyi,Ivo, Abakaliki, Afikpo South, Afikpo North, Izzi, Ishielu, Ikwo, and Onicha Local government areas.
“PDP thugs and agents openly shared rice and money to induce voters. This was the case in Ohaukwu, Ohaozara, Ebonyi,Ivo, Abakaliki, Afikpo South, Afikpo North, Izzi, Ishielu, Ikwo, and Onicha local government areas,” Onu stated.
APC candidates for Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo federal constituency, Festus Odii;
Afikpo North/Afikpo South Federal Constituency, Tony Ekoh and
Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency, Dr. Peter Ogeali, among others, endorsed the petition.