Abia Returning Officer says she was intimidated, threatened
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Nnenna Oti, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Abia Returning Officer, has revealed how she fought tooth and nail to reject money offered to her to change the result of the governorship election in the state.
Last Wednesday, she eventually declared Alex Otti (not her relative) winner of the vote after the collation of results for Obingwa Council which had been suspended by the INEC, arousing suspicion and tension in the state.
Oti, a Professor and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), made the disclosure when she was welcomed back to campus by the management, staff and students of the school.
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‘If I perish, I perish’
Oti said before the final declaration of the result, she was promised a huge sum of money to change the will and mandate of Abia voter but she remained resolute despite heavy intimidation and threats.
“As an electoral officer, I have never in my life participated in any election, but duty came calling, I made my enquiries from Abuja,” she recounted, according to reporting by Channels Television.
“If I perish, I perish, they came with their threats, they came with their money, they came with their intimidation.”
Oti said she stood on her ideals and principles not to short-change anyone and ensured the will of the people prevailed and their votes counted.
“I didn’t start today; I stand here before God, Jesus Christ. I have never defrauded anyone, all l I did was to declare the riot act as follows: Under me, votes must count. Under me, the people’s mandate will be upheld because I, Professor Nnnena Oti, can never do evil.”
She announced on March 22 that Otti of the Labour Party scored Otti 175,467 votes to defeat Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (88,529), and Enyinnaya Nwafor of Young Peoples Party (28,972).