Chukwu, who replaced his elder brother Oyibo as the senatorial candidate of Labour Party for Enugu East senatorial district after he was gruesomely assassinated on February 22, about 72 hours before the presidential and National Assembly elections of February 25, also called on security agencies to intervene and arrest the open rigging of the Saturday's polls in the state.
The candidate of the Labour Party for Enugu East senatorial zone, Sir Kelvin Chukwu, has called on the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Enugu State to stop the alleged manipulation and falsification of Saturday's election results in Nkanu East and West council areas.
Chukwu, who replaced his elder brother Oyibo as the senatorial candidate of Labour Party for Enugu East senatorial district after he was gruesomely assassinated on February 22, about 72 hours before the presidential and National Assembly elections of February 25, also called on security agencies to intervene and arrest the open rigging of the Saturday's polls in the state.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Chukwu decried the alleged falsification and manipulation of election results by INEC collation officials in collaboration with the Peoples Democratic Party in those two LGAs.
Chukwu stated, "It is clear from the field reports we received from party agents, security agents, and figures published by INEC on its IREV on the result of the Enugu East senatorial election held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, that the Labour Party has won convincingly.
"The Labour Party has also won the gubernatorial election in the Enugu East senatorial district. The Labour Party is indebted to the good people of Enugu State.
"Yet, it is apposite to bring to the attention of the Enugu people and the state INEC leadership the ongoing attempts by some desperate politicians to bring the integrity of the two elections into question.
“The politicians are cooking up all manner of figures in Nkanu East LGA, the home LGA of the PDP candidate, Mr Peter Mbah, and Nkanu West LGA, the home local government area of Senator Chimaroke Nnamani; they are even uploading them on the INEC site. Examples of the figures from Nknu East LGA are those of Ugbawka, Amankanu and Owo.
"At the Central School polling unit in Owo, Mr Mbah’s hometown, there were 256 accredited figures, yet an absurd 856 votes were returned to the PDP. At the Ishienu Town Hall, Ugbawka 1, no agent of any party, including the PDP, signed the so-called Statement of Result on the governorship election which, of course, awarded victory to the PDP candidate.
"At the Oji Agu Polling Unit in Agbani in Nkanu West LGA, Senator Nnamani's hometown, no party agent whatsoever signed the purported Statement of Result of the Polling Unit where I94 votes were awarded to the PDP senatorial candidate.”
"At the Ndiuno Uwani Community School 1 Polling Unit at Akpugo, the original and authentic Statement of Result shows that the LP scored 59 votes and the PDP received 15 votes, but in their mutilated copy which has been uploaded on the iRev portal, with all mutilation showing conspicuously, the LP was allocated just nine votes while the PDP got 55 votes.
"The Enugu State INEC leadership is now called upon to save the integrity of the electoral commission and the senatorial and gubernatorial elections held under its supervision. It should arrest and prosecute its officials who have been in cahoots with the PDP to toy with the destiny of the Enugu people and bring INEC into permanent odium.
"The police authorities and the Department of State Security (Services) are also urged to act swiftly to maintain law, peace and order in Nkanu East and Nkanu West LGAs and other parts of our dear State," he added.