The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied the statement made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that its office in Obingwa Local Government Area was attacked. The PDP Agent-in-Chief, Barrister Charles Eseonu, issued a statement claiming that the INEC statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Barrister Festus Okoye, was false.
The INEC statement highlighted the invasion of the Obingwa Local Government Area office by thugs during the collation of results for the Governorship and State Assembly elections. The contentious issue was the collated result from the Registration Areas for the Governorship election in that Local Government Area, and the intention of the thugs was to force the collation of these results. The statement noted that the behaviour of these thugs was unacceptable, and there would be a thorough review of the results to ensure the integrity of the vote.
However, the PDP Agent-in-Chief, Charles Eseonu, refuted the claim that there was an act of violence in Obingwa LGA before, during, and after the election on March 18, 2023. He noted that party agents at the Obingwa collation centre only ensured that INEC’s directive that results must be announced at units, collated at ward then local government levels, and result sheets issued to agents be complied with.
Eseonu was shocked that INEC was attempting to bypass its own recommended process and even falsely released a statement to members of the public to achieve that. He commended the youths of Obingwa for insisting that INEC followed its own guideline as previously stated by Barr Festus Okoye and other national officials.
Eseonu pointed out that the results of the same election from Umuahia South LGA, which were taken to INEC headquarters for collation, changed dramatically along the way in favour of one of the parties involved in the election. He implored INEC to do the right thing by not raising false alarms but to announce the results as collated in Obingwa.
In summary, the PDP Agent-in-Chief, Charles Eseonu, denied that there was an attack on INEC’s office in Obingwa LGA, and refuted the claims made by INEC regarding the collation of results. He urged INEC to follow its own guideline and announce the results as collated in Obingwa.
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