peter.okolie

<h1>Sen. Victor Umeh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has called for the cancellation of Saturday’s National Assembly election for Anambra Central Senatorial District over alleged irregularities.</h1>

Umeh, who presently represents the people of the senatorial district, made the call on Tuesday at a news conference at Aguluzigbo in Anaocha Local Government Area.

The senator said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lost control of the election due to its inability to declare a winner three days after the conduct of the poll.

According to him, it was obvious that the card readers did not work in majority of the places in the senatorial district.

“In Awka North Local Government Area for example, the card readers did not work in more than four or five polling units.

“They had to resort to manual form of accreditation through which the umpire lost control of the voters.

“It was the same thing in many parts of Awka South Local Government Area.

“Anaocha Local Government Area, Agulu and Nri communities particularly, did not use card reader to accredit voters.”

Umeh said in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area, both violence and non-use of card readers for accreditation marred the exercise.

“The results being turned out from this will show you that card readers were not used for accreditation because of the high volume of voters. In Awka South, there were over 40,000 voters said to have taken part in the election,” he said.

The senator said that in his Aguluzigbo area where card readers worked it took an average of three minutes or more for one person to complete the process.

“If you look at it, you will discover that it was impossible for the large figures that were posted in many areas.

“Generally speaking, the election faced a lot of challenges; few days before the election, the card readers in the state were destroyed,” he added.

Umeh claimed that the promise by INEC to replace the card readers did not materialise rues because what was brought in the end could not function at the polling units across the district.

“Results were also cancelled in a number of places like in Oba where the INEC cancelled results in 15 polling units in Oba ward 2; and INEC has not said anything about those places.”

Umeh said for the credibility of the exercise, the commission should cancel the exercise in Anambra Central Senatorial District and do a repeat of the poll.

“It is better to do so than to go ahead and make people to go to Tribunal; it doesn’t make sense.

“INEC is in a position to do an audit of the election and come to the admission that they did not use card reader in conducting the election.

“For the fact that INEC did not keep to its provisions in the guidelines, the election should be repeated.

“The emphasis made by the commission that they will not accept manual accreditation for the election that turned to be the general situation is an indictment of the process.

“When I called the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to complain about the anomalies, he said they were looking at the cost of repeating the election.

“Nothing will be more important than getting something credibly done; the important thing is to get it right,” he stressed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Umeh contested the poll with Mrs Uche Ekwunife of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Sylvester Okonkwo of the All progressives Congress (APC) with Ekwunife declared the winner.

Umeh, who presently represents the people of the senatorial district, made the call on Tuesday at a news conference at Aguluzigbo in Anaocha Local Government Area.

Umeh seeks cancellation of Anambra Central Senatorial election over alleged irregularities

<h1>The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared former Minister of Aviation, Sen. Stella Oduah winner of the Anambra North Senatorial District.</h1>

Declaring the result on Monday in Onitsha, the Returning Officer, Prof. Hugh Maduka, said Oduah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 113,989 votes to defeat 20 other candidates.

He said Mr Emmanuel Chinedu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) came second with 59,937 votes while Mr Nelson Onubogu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged third with 11,995 votes.

The Returning Officer said Mr Chinedu Ekwealor of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came fourth with 1,024 votes.

He noted that the election went fine except in some areas were ballot boxes and votes were burnt by hoodlums.

“The election went fine but there were skirmishes especially the one documented in Oyi Local Government Area where votes were burnt,” he said.

Reacting to her victory, Oduah said her re-election for second tenure was prove of God’s love for her and her people.

The Senator, who promised to sustain her quality representation at the Red Chambers, said “it is a duty to further improve the livelihood of the people of my senatorial district.”

She commended INEC on the conduct of the poll, but called for an improvement in the voting process.

“The process is evolving and I believe that sometimes in the near future, we are going to perfect the electoral process, especially where we can all vote from wherever we are.

“That will be the ultimate for INEC,” Oduah said.

Declaring the result on Monday in Onitsha, the Returning Officer, Prof. Hugh Maduka, said Oduah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 113,989 votes to defeat 20 other candidates.

Stella Oduah wins Anambra North Senatorial District election

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peter.okolie

Articles written by the author

Umeh seeks cancellation of Anambra Central Senatorial election over alleged irregularities

Stella Oduah wins Anambra North Senatorial District election