By Joshua Chibuzo Andrew| Owerri
A fight broke out today Sunday between party agents at the state collation centre for the Imo gubernatorial election.
The fight ensued after the election results from Orsu LGA were announced.
The development resulted in the party agent of the Labour Party, LP, being beaten and bundled out of the collation hall while his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was ushered out.
The dispute appears to have been triggered by the announcement of election results from Orsu Local Government Area (LGA). According to the initial results, Governor Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was reported to have polled 18,003 votes, while Athan Achonu of the Labour Party (LP) received 813 votes, and Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 624 votes.
However, the LP and PDP party agents contested these results, claiming that the election in Orsu LGA had not been conducted properly and that the figures presented were “manufactured.” This dispute disrupted the collation process and led to a confrontation between the protesting party agents and their colleagues in the collation hall.
Mr. Abayomi Fashina the state returning officer accused them of disrupting the collation exercise.
Fashina called on them to return to their seats.
Thereafter, the protesting party agents were swarmed by their colleagues in the hall, leading to punches and kicks.
The protesting party agents were eventually bundled out of the collation hall.
