Labour Party rejects Imo supplementary election results

Three political parties have rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Akarachi Amadi, as the winner of the supplementary election held in Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency of Imo State on Saturday.

The parties challenging the outcome of the poll are the Peoples Democratic Party; the African Democratic Congress; and the Labour Party.

The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Boniface Okoro, had on Sunday night declared Amadi of the APC polled 21, 372 votes to defeat his closest rival, Uche Ogbuagu of the Labour Party, who polled 18, 296 votes.

But rejecting the result, the LP candidate, Uche Ogbuagu, accused INEC of bypassing BVAS and allocating votes to the APC candidate.

Ogbuagu, who was initially leading by a margin of 5,058 votes before the supplementary election, stated, “I am rejecting everything done about this election that would not stem from the BVAS because today I witnessed a total deviance and bypass of the BVAS.

“Most worrisome was the way and manner the electoral officers of both Mbaitoli and Ikeduru were totally compromised and went ahead to collate results in neglect to the BVAS.

“I hereby request for a review of the results of the six polling units in Ikeduru and 52 polling units in Mbaitoli, totalling 58 polling units with BVAS, just as it was done on February 25, 2023.”

Also rejecting the result, the ADC candidate, Chinonso Uba, alleged that INEC compromised the poll in favour of the APC candidate, saying the figures announced by the commission were not the true representation of the votes cast by the electorate.

Declaring himself as the real “hero” of the election, Uba said he had neither a godfather nor a godmother but he was able to “fight” till the end.

The PDP candidate, Osmond Ukanacho, also stated that he would challenge the outcome of the election at the tribunal.

Ukanacho said, “We are not accepting the outcome of the election. It was massively rigged in favour of the APC candidate. We are heading for the tribunal.”