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Electoral Body, INEC To Resume Collation Of Abia State Governorship Results After ‘Abuja Visit’

INEC
March 22, 2023

SaharaReporters had reported that Nigeria's electoral umpire suspended collation of the Abia and Enugu States governorship elections on Monday over allegations of over voting and results manipulation.

The Independent National Electoral Commission will resume results collation of the Abia State governorship election by 4:00pm on Wednesday at its Umuahia headquarters after officials had gone to Abuja for clarification.

SaharaReporters had reported that Nigeria's electoral umpire suspended collation of the Abia and Enugu States governorship elections on Monday over allegations of over voting and results manipulation.

Meanwhile, INEC has denied that it would collate Abia governorship results in Abuja.

The Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Rebecca Jim, who confirmed that the Presiding Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, Professor Nnenna Oti; and the State Administrative Secretary, Clement Oha, who were invited to the INEC headquarters Abuja, over the controversy from the Obingwa results, were on their way back to the state, to complete the process.

Meanwhile, while fewer than 27,000 voters were accredited in Obingwa by the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS machines, rumour has it that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP polled over 100,000 votes from the council.

The main opposition Labour Party which is already leading with over 92,000 votes from the declared results of 16 out of 17 LGAs in the state, has cried foul, alleging that the “mystery figure” was cooked by the ruling party.

While results from 26 LGAs had been formally declared at the INEC Collation Centre, Obingwa result was yet to be presented when the directive from INEC headquarters in Abuja came for the exercise to the halted, and the action shifted to Abuja.

Abia has been soaked with tension since the logjam started with protests and growing calls among residents for INEC to declare the winner of the contest and not allow the will of the people to be subverted.