Assistant Editor (South East), CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA, reports on how the presidential and National Assembly (NASS) elections were held, won, and lost in Imo State.
Major political parties in Imo State did not leave anyone in doubt about their preparation for the federal elections judging from the result. The real contestants were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, Ayo Ibidapo-Obe, declared that total votes cast was 731,931 out of which 702,964 were valid and 28,957 were rejected.
Investigation showed that several rejected votes were for APGA, Accord, and other parties that adopted President Goodluck Jonathan as their candidate, which suggested that their members were not properly educated on voting procedure.
Opponents alleged militancy, inconsistency, corrupt practices, and non utilisation of funds allocation against Governor Rochas Okorocha.
This campaign played a major role in the voting pattern in the NASS poll, just as religion, ethnic bias played a role in the presidential one.
Dashed expectations
The INEC failed to meet the expectations of the people in the areas of time and card readers. Most polling stations got voting materials late, leading to late accreditation, voting, counting, collation, and announcement of results.
A polling official who gave his name simply as Osim claimed that the difficulties were caused by poor logistics at council level.
Security agencies checkmate Okorocha
Okorocha was checkmated by other parties, including the PDP. This apparently led to his poor performance as the APC won only two Federal constituencies, while PDP won the presidential election, three senatorial seats and eight federal constituencies.
Those won by the APC are Ideato South/Ideato North and Obowo/Ihitte-Uboma/Ehime Mbano Federal Constituencies.
Security operatives were not left out in the elections. The Department of State Security (DSS) raided Okorocha’s home town, Ogboko, and arrested over 250 persons, including under-aged students of Rochas Foundation Secondary School. Some of them were accused of possessing fake PVC cards.
Military presence was also felt in the area. Soldiers ensured that those arrested by the DSS did not move out of Ogboko Development Centre where they were confined.
Okorocha alleges rigging
The military commander prevented Okorocha from seeing those arrested, which led to his allegation that the security agencies were tool in the hands of PDP to rig vote.
Okorocha said the election negated the people’s expectation and the Electoral Act, and alleged that INEC offices in the state were used for rigging.
He denied the counter allegation by INEC officials and security operatives that he was personally involved in the beating of INEC staff and deflating the tires of INEC vehicles conveying electoral materials from voting centres back to Imo INEC headquarters.
He also denied that those arrested in his home town were brought by him to rig.
INEC official narrates ordeal
However, contrary to Okorocha’s denial of physically assaulting INEC staff, one of them, Pat Ogbata recounted that “on our way getting to INEC office at Nwangele local government for collation of results, the people there did not allow us to concentrate on our job.
“So we were ordered by the electoral officer to proceed to Owerri with the help of the military. Most of the party agents agreed, since we were being distracted.
“At Nwaorieubi, one of us had an accident and we stopped. The ASUU chairman in our team made sure all sensitive materials, including the results inside the INEC vehicle, were moved out of the scene to INEC headquarters in Owerri.
“While we were going to the nearest hospital with the accident victims and got to Akwakuma junction, we saw the governor and his men with their vehicles.
“Okorocha saw the two accident victims when he came close to our vehicle. At that point he requested for the results and we told him we did not have the results. I personally told him that we were rushing accident victims to the hospital, and he said, ‘Madam it doesn’t matter.’
“I told him these are human beings and he slapped me. I got down from the vehicle as Okorocha and his team continued to search for the results.
“On the day of the election, we were paid some allowances by the INEC and we couldn’t leave the job to go home to drop the money. I am surprised the governor said we were given money by the PDP to rewrite results in PDP’s favour.”
Declaring Senator Hope Uzodinma winner of Imo West Senatorial Zone, the Returning Officer, Ezeh, displayed torn result sheets and alleged that Okorocha and his APC members were responsible.
Ezeh told TheNiche in an exclusive interview that he fled to the bush when Okorocha came to the collation centre at Orlu Council headquarters with APC thugs.
The PDP scored 559,185 votes in the presidential poll, APC (133,253), UPP (1,917), ADC (1,617), and APA (2,236).
Imo has 1,747,681 registered voters, out of which 801,712 were accredited.
