described as the fatally flawed
governorship election in Anambra State.
Candidates of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP)
called yesterday for the cancellation of
the Saturday election.
The APC said its initial call for a rerun in
four local governments had been
overtaken by the full report it received
from its agents and observers (local and
foreign).
It accused the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) of "setting
up" a multi-layer arrangement to ensure
that most of the would-be voters were
disenfranchised.
The APC candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige, said:
"We thought it was to be the freest and
fairest election, with the presence of
soldiers. But the opposite is the case. I
hereby call for the total cancellation of
the election. Jega should come and
conduct it by himself."
"With what has transpired and the degree
of fraud, especially the question of result
sheets not being sent with other election
materials, we make further demands for
the cancellation of the exercise," Ngige
said.
PDP candidate Tony Nwoye said the
election was full of irregularities.
Nwoye, who could not vote because his
name was missing on the register, said:
"Jega knew what went wrong. He simply
refused to fix it. The Resident Electoral
Commissioner (REC) in Anambra, Prof.
Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, laid the
foundation. But the full blame must go to
Jega."
He added: "What happened in Anambra
State on Saturday is a monument fraud. It
was a big embarrassment. It shows that
we are not in anyway better than we
were in the days of Prof. Maurice Iwu. I
have never seen an election like this in all
my life.
"It was an election whereby soldiers
assisted in harassing and chasing away
voters. It was scientific (rigging). It was
well planned and aptly executed.
"Whatever is the outcome of the election
today or any day they choose to announce
the result, it is not acceptable to us."
Speaking on his inability to vote, Nwoye
said: "On the eve of the election, an INEC
official called to inform me that they had
removed my name from the voters list.
My unit had over 500 registered voters,
but they removed most of the names,
including those of my parents. They used
the military in rigging the election. This is
the worst election I have observed. I
have been involved in election matters.
As a student leader in 1993, I was
involved in Abiola's election as a party
officer. Unfortunately, Jega is not
accessible. He made it difficult for us to
reach him. As for going to court, I will
consult before I take any decision."
Labour candidate Ifeanyi Ubah, who
claimed to have swept the poll in Nnewi,
"which is the home town of the symbol of
the All Progressives Grand Alliance
(APGA), the late Chief Emeka Odumegwu
Ojukwu" said he was ready to forfeit his
victory in Nnewi for the election to be
cancelled because of irregularities.
He said even in Nnewi, where he won,
many voters were disenfranchised.
Ubah said Jega's integrity was at stake for
the "shoddy" election he presided over in
Anambra State, which, according to him,
should have been a model and a shinning
example of what to expect in 2015.
Speaking to reporters in Awka yesterday,
Ubah said Jega should toe the path of
honour by canceling the election.
He said the election in Nnewi, which he
said met all the standards required of a
good election, should be used as a
yardstick to judge the election and, on the
basis of that, he be declared the winner
since election in other parts of the state
fell short of expectation.
"Nnewi election would have been used as
the yardstick for other elections in the
state. The integrity of Jega is at stake
now. It is either he toes the path of
honour and cancels the election or he
should declare me the winner of the
election. I believe that Labour won
landslide but n other areas, they
disenfranchised people and removed the
names of even a party candidate from the
voters register," Ubah said.
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