Ahead of the governorship election slated for November 11 in Imo State, a group of civil society organisations, CSOs, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of an alleged planning to ‘harvest and write results.’
The allegation is coming a few days after the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, accused the electoral umpire of importing thousands of already compromised BVAS machines into the state in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State.
Speaking at a press conference in Enugu on Sunday, the International Society For Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, and the South-East Based Coalition Of Democracy And Human Rights Organizations, queried the INEC on whether it was truly organising a free, fair, secured and credible election or planning to harvest and write results for the incumbent, Governor Hope Uzodinma.
The press conference was addressed by Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair, Intersociety, Mr Anayo Okoli, Member of the Board, Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Head of Campaign and Publicity, Prof Jerry Chidozie Chukwuokolo, for South-East Based Coalition of Democracy and Human Rights Organizations, Engineer Ikenwoke Nwandu, Head, Data Collection and Documentation and Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, Leader, South-East, Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO.
The groups claimed that available pieces of evidence and realities on the ground have continued to strongly indicate that the INEC was planning to ‘harvest and write results’ for the incumbent in the State.
“The above is more so when it must not be hurriedly forgotten and that the January 14, 2020 Nigeria’s Supreme Court verdict that installed Hope Uzodinma as ‘Imo Governor’ remotely originated from ‘harvested results’ from 311 polling units in the State where voting either did not take place or was cancelled as a result of widespread violence and gross malpractices in the State’s April 2019 Governorship Election.
“It is not out of place for us to express deep fears that another round of result harvesting and writing is cooking in Imo.
“Nigerians and other international democracy watchers will not be surprised to see the allocation of 500,000-1m (dead) votes as ‘total valid and lawful votes scored by the incumbent…winning a landslide’.
“However, and truly speaking; going by several investigations done by Intersociety and the realities on the ground in Imo State, the true winner of the State’s Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Poll, in an atmosphere of ‘one-man-one-vote contest’, will not score more than 90,000-130,000 (living) votes. This will be out of possibly total lawful votes cast of not more than 300,000.
“This projection was arrived at after putting into consideration the fears, chaos and bloodletting that have gripped the State since January 2021 in which more than half of the State’s 27 Local Government Areas are deeply affected and 65% or 1.8m (out of the State’s 2.4m PVC holders) of the registered voting population uprooted and forced out of their voting areas, leaving the State with only 600,000 eligible voters, out of which 300,000 may maximally vote,” they claimed.
They demanded that “Imo voters must be protected and allowed to freely vote for governorship candidates of their choice on Nov 11, 2023 and their ‘living votes’ and properties protected.
“Apart from ensuring their security and safety, the voting routes and environments and their residences and sensitive voting materials including result sheets (.i.e. FormEC8As) must also be secured and subversive elements within the security forces, including deployed soldiers, police crack squads and ‘Ebubeagu killer militias’ and all armed non-state criminal entities stopped from wrecking more havoc.
“The restoration of sanctity of the ballot box in Imo, corrupted and bastardised following the January 14, 2020 Supreme Court judgement, is capable of ending the ongoing mass murders and property destructions that have ravaged the State since January 2021.”
They disclosed that letters had been written to the INEC and the various security agencies, demanding that visible action must be taken to protect the sanctity of the ballot.
The CSOs said: “We are calling for ‘No Result Sheets, No Voting’ in the Imo’s Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Poll.
“Location of collation centres must be outside the arenas under the grip and undue influence of the Government of Imo State.
“INEC must urgently reverse all politically motivated staff postings, appointments and transfers ahead of the Nov 11, 2023 Governorship Poll.
“The Letter to INEC specifically requested and still request for transfer of Imo REC, Prof Sylvia Agu and eight heads of Imo’s INEC key departments; namely: Emmanuella Okpara (HOD-Voter Education), Mr. Raymond (HOD-ICT), Chinonye Osuji (Public Relations Officer), Dr. Fidelis Uguru (Acting Administrative Secretary), Agnes Elokpo (ICT Department), Okorie Esther (Acting HOD-Operations), Barrister Sunday Nwaigboko (HOD Legal) and Mrs. Gloria Ogbuechi (INEC EO for Nkanu East in the 2023 Governorship Election in Enugu State, now posted to Imo State).
“We are also not comfortable with the continued retention in Imo INEC of the following eleven Local Government Electoral Officers (EOs): Emeka Okike Ukpa (Owerri West), Omeje Peter Ikebuchukwu (Nwerre), Nwabisi Theresa (Mbaitoli), Nnebue Adolph (Ezinihitte-Mbaise), Nnonyelum Benjamin (Ngokpala), Okorie Franklyn (Isiala-Mbano), Uzor Chikwendu (Okigwe), Nwachukwu Anyalewechi (Onuimo), Chukwuemeka Blessing (Orlu), Okafor Obiorah (Orsu), Uzoka Emmanuel (Oru East).”
