Magnus Eze, Enugu
A coalition of accredited independent observers for the Presidential and National Assembly elections held in Enugu, last Saturday, have expressed utmost satisfaction with conduct of the exercise in the state.
The observers described the elections as “most peaceful, credible, free and fair,” devoid of “violence, irregularities, thuggery or snatching of ballot boxes.”
Speaking to newsmen at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , during the collation of election results from the local government areas, the Coordinator of the civil society in Enugu State, Samuel Onoja, while reacting to alleged irregularities by some national assembly candidates and members of the APC in the state, said there was no iota of truth in the allegations.
Onoja said they were “shocked” by the alleged “fighting, thuggery, fake result sheets and all sorts of things,” stressing that the elections were “free, fair, transparent and peaceful.
“The election in Enugu State has been free and fair. All the observers deployed to various polling booths, reported to me and we have not heard of any thuggery or snatching of ballot boxes. We have not heard of any problem.
“I think the election held in Enugu State is more peaceful and transparent than in any other state in this country because we went round the state such as Nsukka, Agbani in Nkanu and Aninri. All the places we went to, I don’t think there was problem anywhere. “
Meanwhile, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the outright cancellation of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held in the state last weekend.
The APC state Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, in a press conference, in Enugu, yesterday, accused the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state of conniving with the INEC and the police to rig the elections.
He also alleged that the elections were not conducted in line with the electoral law, as the smart card readers were, according to him, totally discarded and accreditation carried out manually.
Flanked by the governorship candidate of the party, Senator Ayogu Eze, and all the national assembly candidates of the party, Nwoye said there was no election in the state, and further called for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the alleged electoral fraud, including the corps members who served as ad hoc staff.
They rose from the press conference and moved as a group to state office of INEC, to submit their petition.