Nigerians may be deceived that Local Government Election was held in Imo State on Saturday August 7 2010 but I will tell it to the East, West, North and South that there was no election on that date.
Nigerians may be deceived that Local Government Election was held in Imo State on Saturday August 7 2010 but I will tell it to the East, West, North and South that there was no election on that date.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
What Ohakim and his cohorts did was to allocate all 27 LGA seats to his cronies, friends and well-wishers, and damned the consequences. I saw the drama from the beginning to the end and I feel the need to let the world know what happened. I just feel that concerned and well-meaning Nigerians must help this country to make progress.
It is therefore pertinent for me to state step-by-step how the election was rigged in favour of PDP for record purposes:
1. All the returning officers were selected from Governor Ikedi Ohakim’s organization called NEW FACE Of IMO and all of them are PDP members. They were told what to do and they did it.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
2. Barrister Emma Nwonye, the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) Chairman was one of the lawyers that defended Governor Ohakim at the election tribunals. He specifically coordinated the recruitment of the governor’s men and women that would not betray the Governor.
3. The biggest fraud was that candidates from other political parties in 24 LGAs were disqualified based on flimsy excuses just to pave way for Ohakim’s cronies. Only in 3 LGAs were the opposition allowed to contest and even at that Ohakim took time to visit the 3 LGAs just to make sure that nothing went wrong.
4. Even the Party Chairmen of the opposition parties were settled to betray their parties. If in doubt please take a look at a communiqué issued by a group that called itself "Association of Registered Political Parties (ARPP) Imo State". Listen to them: “After receiving reports from the 27 Local Government Areas in the state about the just concluded LG elections and a proper review we agreed as follows:
· That the elections was peaceful and there was massive turnout of voters
· We also received reports that in few polling booths there was minor irregularities which is not pronounced to discredit the elections
· We thank the ISIEC Chairman and the entire Commission for their tireless effort in conduction the elections. ‘BRAVO’
· We sincerely congratulate His Excellency Gov. Ikedi Ohakim for giving Imo people the long awaited third-tier democracy. We hereby give the August 07 election pass mark”
This is a lie from the pit of hell.
5. A faction of Imo State PDP led by Former Gov. Achike Udenwa and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume was to get an injunction on Friday August 6th 2010 to stop the sham elections but what Gov. Ikedi Ohakim did was to declare a public holiday so that no Court will sit in Imo State to hear their case. The faction has issued a statement to condemn the fraud.
6. The so-called election monitors or observers were kept in the luxurious Owerri Concord Hotel and "spoilt a little" with bottles of beer, a few women and constant supply of Isiewu and they left Owerri without them witnessing the elections. They went back to Abuja to write a report that a "free and fair election" took place, to my mind these bunch of observers are more dangerous than 1000 Maurice Iwus, they most be identified and exposed.
7. No figures were mentioned by the Chairman of ISIEC while announcing the results and on Monday August 8 2010 and by 8:00 AM in the morning Gov. Ohakim quickly swore them in and asked those complaining to go to Court. Shortly after that, he asked the so-called ‘elected’ LGA Chairmen to rush to their local governments to swear-in their councilors same day.
8. It is important also for Nigerians to know that it is these handpicked LGA Chairmen and the Commissioners and others that will be delegates to the forthcoming Governorship primaries. So Gov. Ohakim knew what he did.
Now, if Professor Jega wants to succeed as INEC Chairman I pray that God help him to find the courage to investigate the fraud that they called LGA elections which took place on Saturday August 7 2010 in Owerri. Prof. Jega knows what to do. Please use all the machineries of INEC and all the Security Agencies in Nigeria to find out what happened in Imo State on August 7 2010 and the findings will help Nigeria in no uncertain terms. I think that if this fraud in one state out of 36 states is not properly investigated and the culprits brought to book, all talks about free and fair elections in 2010 will just be mere talk show and no substance.
I just want Nigerians to know that no LGA elections took place in Imo on Saturday August 7 2010. Professor Attahiru Jega, please investigate this.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });