The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the results of the March 18 governorship election.
Information Nigeria had reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday declared Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP), winner of the governorship election.
The Commission announced that Otti polled 175,467 votes to defeat Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 88,529 votes.
However, in a statement made available to the newsmen on Wednesday and signed by Kingsley Ononogbu (state APC chairman), Chidi Avajah (State Secretary), and Uche Ogboso (Director-General of Ikechi Emenike Campaign Organisation), APC said the outcome of the election did not reflect the actual votes cast or the wishes of Abians.
The opposition party also described the 2023 governorship poll in Abia as the worst form of competitive election rigging between the PDP and the Labour Party.
“Abia State All Progressives Congress (APC) rejects in its entirety the results of the Abia gubernatorial election.
“The 2023 Governorship Election in Abia is, therefore, nothing but a charade. Both the manipulators and the beneficiaries of this juggling of figures know that the results churned out have no resemblance to the reality on the ground.
“Instead of giving Abians accurate election results reflecting the choice they had made with their ballots, they have been served a concoction of allocated scores laced with shameless shenanigans.
“We are also aware that the orchestrated alterations of the poll results and allocation of votes were purposely contrived against our party, the APC.
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“The manipulation of the poll results was principally designed by its traducers to humiliate the party and diminish its high octave popularity and acceptability across Abia State.
“The main purpose of juggling and manipulation of votes was carried out just to sustain the contrived fallacy that the party is not firmly rooted in Abia,” the statement read.
The State APC said that it was unthinkable to suggest that LP will score 27,000 votes in Umuahia North Local Government and APC 7, 225 votes.
According to the Party, the outcome of the election is a very infantile exercise in vote allocation fixed against APC.
It added: “Another curious example is that in the entire Ugwunagbo Local Government Area, APC was allocated 375 votes, while in Osisioma 504 votes were allocated to APC despite the hard work of the former State Chairman, Hon Donatus Nwankpa, who worked tirelessly with others to make our Party a household name.
“Are they saying that APC has no members in these Local Government Areas? Even the number of very active APC EXCO members from wards to local governments are far more than the allocated votes,” said Abia APC.
“The same scenario of vote allocation played out across the 17 Local Government Areas of the State, all to the advantage of the predetermined beneficiaries, Labour Party and PDP.
“All imaginable malpractices were employed to achieve their desired nefarious results. Abians have been treated to the worst form of competitive election rigging between PDP and Labour Party”.
“The Abia APC calls on INEC to carry out a simultaneous review of vote figures in places like Obingwa, Aba North, Aba South, and Umuahia North, among others where there were glaring over-voting should be reviewed simultaneously.”
The Party also appealed to all its members and our teeming supporters to remain calm as the party leadership responds to the situation.
