The Oguta State Assembly re-run election which was held on Saturday 29th 2013 has come but not gone. At the end of the exercise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared it inconclusive thus reenacting another episode of a supplementary election. It was an election in which Oguta Local Government Area became massively militarized as stern-looking AK 47-totting trigger happy security operatives took over the nooks and crannies of the place.
Although there is a blame game between the members of the two major participating parties – APGA and PDP, each sides is claiming to be leading in the wards where election was satisfactorily concluded. In a press release from the channel of Imo State Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), the press release said that APGA scored 9595 votes while PDP scored 7584 from the 18634 votes cast during the election. The Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Blyden Amajirionwu, in his own press release stated that Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Eugene Dibiagwu, scored 7585, while APGA candidate, Chief Walter Uzonwanne, scored 7341.
A text message sent to the publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Blyden Amajirionwu, to get in-depth report of the PDP side of the story was not given the benefit of a reply. The general public will be kept regularly updated with developments as they unfold. In order not to exacerbate the hostile political environment in Imo State, there is a need for journalists and indeed all who wish to comment on this saga to act with moderation and circumspection in order to maintain an ambience of tranquility. Meanwhile, the whole world is waiting on the INEC to give final directives on the way forward.
In his address to the press, the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, appealed to INEC to release the result in order not to inflame passion or ignite crises in Imo State. We are watching and waiting as events unfold. Answering questions during the press conference, the governor said that since the returning officer had signed the result, it was no longer necessary to keep the people guessing. According to the governor, the returning officer is the highest authority vested with the power to announce the result. He was free to withhold his signature or append it on the result. Having signed it, there is no further reason to withhold the result. In the governor’s words, “the result of the poll is a case of RES IPSA LOQUITOR –the fact speaks for itself. The issue is that from the total votes, APGA has won and the document is duly signed by the returning officer. So if you don’t accept that where are you now going to insert whatever you intend to do?” He said that it was at the point of announcing this results that a call came from above and ordered them to stop announcing the result.
The governor asked whether in the history of Nigeria, if anyone had heard of any constituency where election rerun was done four times. He appealed to INEC to salvage their image and release the result. Governor Okorocha extolled the qualities of Professor Jega and said that he did not have any doubts that Professor Jega would not allow his hard earned integrity to be besmirched. Governor Okorocha said: “Do you know that if this result had favoured PDP with only one vote, they would have since declared the result and ask us to go to court? He said that it was no longer necessary to do a re-run because “from the 4000 votes now in the areas still outstanding, PDP cannot score 4000 votes while APGA scores nil. We can even dash them 1000 votes if necessary, yet it does not help their case. Who told them that all the 4000 voters will vote en masse for PDP”..
Governor Okorocha said that on the basis of the result signed by the returning officer, the APGA candidate, Walter Uzonwanne, led with 9595 votes. He then asked why INEC would want to declare such election inconclusive on the grounds that the results of eight polling booths were yet to be ascertained. According to the governor, election was conducted in 121 out of the 129 polling units and even if the result of the eight remaining booths were added to PDP, the APGA candidate would still win.
However, in a press release by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Blyden Amajirionwu, he said that “contrary to the misinformation and falsehood being peddled by APGA, what INEC has as an inconclusive result is PDP 7585 and APGA 7241”. He appealed to PDP members to remain calm and law abiding in the hope that the PDP would be victorious in the end
The summary of this story is that although according to the Governor Okorocha’s address to the press, results signed by the Returning Officer show that APGA has won the poll, this victory will remain in the realm of speculation until the Professor Jega- led INEC accords it an official ratification.
John I. Mgbe.
