APC rejects governorship, state assembly election results in Cross River, Delta

The acting Chairman of the party in Cross River, Mr John Ochala, in a statement on Monday, said:

“We dissociate ourselves from this `rape on our democracy’ in the name of governorship and house of assembly elections.‘’

Ochala assured members of APC in the state that its leadership would seek legal means to redress the situation.

He, therefore, urged them to remain calm.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC had on Monday, declared the incumbent governor, Benedict Ayade of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of Saturday’s election.

According to INEC, Ayade polled 381,484 votes as against 131,161 polled by Sen. John Owan-Enoh, the governorship candidate of APC.

Similarly, the leadership of APC in Delta has called for outright cancellation of the governorship and state Assembly elections.

The Chairman of APC in Delta, Mr Jones Erue, who made this known in Warri on Monday, said that the party would approach the Election Petition Tribunal should the electoral umpire refuse to cancel the elections.

He said that the elections were marred by a lot of irregularities across the 25 local government areas of the state with the aid of security operatives.

“You all witnessed an electoral process where soldiers aided thugs to hijack ballot boxes and materials in collaboration with the presiding officers and thumb print them for a particular party.

“Our people were not allowed to enter any collation centres; our agents were treated as enemies of the electoral process.

“The whole place was militarised and results were changed at will.

“For example, at Emede Ward 5 unit 2 in Isoko South soldiers aided the destruction of that unit at about 10:00 a.m. ballot boxes and ballot papers were carted away.

“Our members were brutalised and presiding officers collaborated with PDP to undo us.

“In Warri South and Warri South-West most of the materials did not get to their units.

“We are, therefore, rejecting the result and also call on INEC to cancel the election and failure to do that, we will approach the Tribunal to get our mandate,’’ he said.

Prof. Serth Jaja, the Collation Officer in Delta had on Monday declared Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa as winner of the governorship election in the state.

According to Jaja, Okowa polled a total of 925,274 to defeat Great Ogboru of the APC who scored 215,938 votes in the contest.

Responding, the Spokesman of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Col. Aminu Ilyasu, said that APC’s allegations were baseless.

“People see security agencies as an instrument of the state that can be used by the ruling party.

“The opposition parties will bash on the security agency, the ruling party will also bash on the security agencies.

“The elections are over; if he is not satisfied, he should go the Election Petition Tribunal,” he said.