The group described the officials as an embarrassment to the commission, saying they allegedly expressed bias to declare the winner of an inconclusive election of Ideato North and South in favour of preferred candidate in contravention to the law
A group, Amalgamated Union of Imo State Professionals on Thursday in Abuja staged a protest to condemn the alleged involvement of Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Kenneth Ukaga, the National Commissioner to Imo State, in the alleged manipulation of the general elections in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The group described the officials as an embarrassment to the commission, saying they allegedly expressed bias to declare the winner of an inconclusive election of Ideato North and South in favour of preferred candidate in contravention to the law.
The angry protesters called on the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to investigate the dubious role of the two Commissioners in subverting the will of the people of the state.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Hon. Ikechukwu Umeh slammed the two Commissioners for meddling in the election results which eventually led to the disenfranchisement of many registered voters in the state.
He said, “We are here today to complain that the election did not hold at about 56 polling units in Ideato North and South and the Returning Officer agreed to declare it inconclusive but a call came from INEC Headquarters here in Abuja directed that the result should be declared.
"We wrote a letter to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Imo State demanding for a review. They set up a committee to look into the matter but suddenly we noticed that a call still came from the INEC headquarters to stop the review and that we should go to court."
Ikechukwu added that the same Okoye and Ukaga directed the Returning Officer not to issue certificates of return to their candidates for State House of Assembly for both Ideato North and South even after they had won their elections and declared winner.
"We also noticed that the same set of people from Abuja told the INEC officials not to issue certificates of return to them and that is why we are here.
"But we noticed that this directive was made by Kenneth Ukaga and Festus Okoye who are the indigenes of Imo State and we came here to ask the INEC Chairman to prevail on them to leave Imo State alone.”
Some of the messages on their placards read; Festus Stop Manipulating Election Results of Imo State; Ken Ukaga Must Go; Leave Imo Alone and Let Democracy thrive.
Meanwhile in a protest letter addressed to the INEC Chairman and obtained by SaharaReporters, they said, “That using the case of Ideato North and South Federal Constituency election which took place on the 25th of February 2023, as an example, the Electoral Officers and Resident Electoral Officer in view of over Fifty Six (56) polling units where elections did not hold and a return ought not to have been made, the above mentioned officers of your commission bowed to pressure from the highly placed staff being complained of, and made the said declaration returning a preferred candidate of a particular party, declared to have won the election."