Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State are yet to recover from the shock of being outwitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship and state Assembly election on April 11.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the governorship election inconclusive, but the result so far released showed that APC candidate, Governor Rochas Okorocha, is leading in 20 of the 27 councils with 385,671 votes.
PDP candidate, Emeka Ihedioha, has 306,142 votes and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Emmanuel Iheanacho, 28,238 votes.
APC got 16 seats in the state Assembly and PDP five. Six were declared inconclusive.
The PDP recorded success in its strongholds in Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise, Ezinihitte Mbaise, Ngor/Okpala and Ohaji/Egbema constituences. The six declared inconclusive are Oguta, Owerri West, Oru East, Isu, Ikeduru, and Isiala Mbano.
Rerun election will hold on April 25 in 23 councils for governorship and in six councils for Assembly seats.
Election will hold in wards and polling units where ballots were cancelled for various reasons, including malfunctioned card readers, violence, and absence of voting materials.
Over 145,000 votes are expected votes from areas where the rerun will take place.
There have been accusations back and forth during and after the vote on April 11, such as rigging, compromise by INEC officials, use of thugs, intimidation by security operatives, and killings.
About five politically motivated murders were recorded in Onuimo, Ngor/Okpala and Oru East Councils.
The result of the election released so far raises questions on how the PDP could have won the presidential and National Assembly (NASS) ballot on March 28.
Questions on the lips of the electorate include: Did the PDP take Okorocha for granted on April 11?
Why were PDP chairman, PDP deputy governorship candidate, Senators and House of Representatives-elect, Tony Chukwu, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, and others defeated in their areas of control?
Was there a compromise among PDP members? Could it be that everybody wants to go to the APC now that Muhammadu Buhari is President-elect?
Results allegedly written at gunpoint
Results from the domain of top PDP members suggest alleged compromise, overconfidence, unpreparedness, and a lack of information.
Some also alleged monetary inducements to party agents and chieftains, as well as INEC officials who allegedly wrote results outside collation centres.
An INEC official in Oru East, Emmanuella Opara, claimed that her team was compelled to write results at gunpoint.
Her words: “We were held hostage by the elders of the area who took us to a house where we were forced to write the results of the governorship election.
“I and the collation officer for Oru East Local Government Area had no choice but to do what they asked us to do in order to save our lives.
“The people were very aggressive and that was why we could not do the collation in other wards and decided to come back to the office.”
PDP alleges rigging
A statement issued by PDP chieftain, Okeafor Anyanwu, alleged compromise by security agents.
He said the directive by the INEC that police and soldiers should keep their distance from polling units was not obeyed as they escorted government officials to intimidate voters.
Another statement issued by state PDP Chairman, Nnamdi Anyaehie, alleged that “despite widespread manipulation, thuggery, harassment and intimidation visited on the electoral process against the INEC and voters, our party still triumphed.
“In the case of Oru East, while stakeholders were anxiously expecting the result of the electoral officer, Emmanuella Opara publicly confessed that she was kidnapped and taken to a secret location by agents of the APC candidate where she was forced at gunpoint to enter fictitious figures.
“We hope to reconcile with the INEC areas affected by the irregularities and seek appropriate redress.
“We hereby appeal to the good people of Imo State who are fervently looking forward to a responsible and responsive and accountability government, as promised by our candidate, to maintain the peace.
“Be rest assured that change is almost here for the rebuilding of Imo State.”
Raymond Unegbu alleged that members of his team, including the Director General of Emeka Ihedioha Campaign Organisation, Chris Okewulonu, were beaten by APC thugs in Obowo Council.
He said they were heading for a collation centre in the area to collect electoral materials when the thugs accosted them with guns and machetes.
APC alleges rigging
But Information Commissioner and Coordinator of Rochas Campaign Organisation, Chidi Ibeh, counter alleged that Ihedioha employed thugs in Aboh Mbaise Council to unleash terror on his brother, Sam Onwuemeodo, media aide to Okorocha.
He accused INEC officials of collaborating with the PDP to write results in private homes.
Okorocha upbeat
Imo Youth Council President, Jeff Nwaoha, led hundreds of youths to visit Okorocha at Government House, Owerri to show solidarity and “defend the mandate freely given to him” by the electorate.
“We have taken steps to watch that there is no reason to declare Imo governorship election inconclusive,” Nwaoha said.
Okorocha told the youths that “the INEC may delay victory, but cannot change the victory. We have won in 20 local government areas, despite the fact that our votes were stolen by the opposing party.
“This victory has been signed, sealed and must be delivered.”
He promised to call INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, to declare him winner.
“But if Jega refuses to declare me winner, we will go for a rerun election and I am sure of victory. They thought that my keeping quite is a sign of weakness.
“Udenwa, Iwuanyanwu, Hope Uzodinma, Ikeh C. Ibeh, Iheanacho and the big names in the state failed in their respective areas. The wind of change has swept them out of the road and this is an indication that they did not win during the presidential and National Assembly elections.
“I will take legitimate steps to recover all our stolen mandates. The APC will take back senatorial and House of Representatives seats stolen by the PDP through their rigging pattern.”