The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer for the Imo State House of Assembly bye-election for Ngor- Okpala state constituency has declared Amajirionwu Blyden Okanni of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the election.
Declaring the result at Umuneke, headquarters of Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area and Imo State Sunday, Prof. Ameh Dennis Akor of Drama and Critical Theory, at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State said that the APC candidate polled 9,248 to defeat Jeff Nwachukwu of the PDP who polled 7,071 votes.
He stated that the total registered voters across the 11 existing electoral wards in the area was 94,060, while the total number of accredited voters was 18,083.
According to him, the election process commenced as early as 8:30 am and ended at about 2:30 pm, noting that all accredited voters with Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) cast their votes.
He said that the election results were published, displayed and transmitted electronically using form EC60E and EC8A through the INEC’s portal.
Prof. Akor further stated that the number of total votes cast was 17 862 while the total number of valid votes was 17 280 with rejected 582 votes.
In another development, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Imo State has rejected the Ngor Okpala State Constituency Bye-election held on Saturday, calling for total cancellation.
In a release signed by the Chairman, Engr. Charles Ugwu and made available to newsmen, it noted that in over fifty polling units, out of 193 Polling Units, electoral materials were forcefully carted with INEC ad hoc staff taken to Sentiero Hotel along the Sam Mbakwe Airport Road to thumbprint ballot papers and write results in favour of the APC. “A few of the areas affected by this electoral fraud included, Ward 1 —008 & 016, Ward 2 —015, Ward 3— 002, Ward 4— 005 and 010, Ward 5 – 002, 006, 011, Ward 6— 001, 003, 007, 008,009, 011, Ward 8— 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, 011 and Ward 11—002, 004, 010 & 012 and many others.
The party called for “Outright cancelation of the Saturday, February 26, 2022 bye-election in Ngor Okpala, calling on INEC to order an immediate recount of all the materials and votes and reconcile them with the BVAS data. It equally called on INEC to take steps to immediately move for the arrest and prosecution of all those implicated in this heist as contained in the Electoral Act and save our democracy both within and outside the state.