–Vows To Resist Any Form Of Electoral Fraud,Agu
The Imo State Labour Party has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Imo State to ensure free, fair and credible election at the forthcoming Imo Gubernatorial election.
The party in a peaceful demonstration stormed the INEC office in Owerri to express their displeasure at the outcome of the Presidential, National and State Assembly Elections conducted in Imo few months ago, insisting that there were compromise and bias at the results and unequivocally condemned INEC’s failure to transmit the results electronically as promised.
The state Labour Party Chairman, Barr. Calistus Ihejiagwa while speaking to INEC officer at the commission, stated that the party will not condone rigging or any form of malpractices in the November 11th Election.
He demanded for the INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu to redeploy Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Prof. Sylvia Uchenna Agu, citing allegations and rumours peddling that she has already being compromised. He maintained that for Imo to achieve a transparent, just and credible election, the Imo INEC REC must be redeployed and he advised her to maintain her integrity by seeking to be redeployed.
His words, “Our bivas must work. Our results must be transmitted electronically. We will resist electoral fraud. No more bribing.
INEC must live up to their responsibility as an independent umpire. We want only free and fair Election. IMO people are looking upto you. We are at liberty to vote our conscience, therefore no man or commission shall truncate our chances of having the governor of our choice.
“INEC promised use of bivas but they failed. We demand that results must be counted electronically this time.
Those beautiful innovations contained in INEC’s Electoral process must be obeyed. We insist on One man One vote. Our vote must count. We don’t want Ben Johnson government, therefore we must vote and our vote must count. We are peaceful and obidient. We seek a credible election that can guarantee smooth take over of government in Imo”.
The Youth Leader of Imo Labour Party, Chris Ndubueze Okorondu appealed to INEC to do the right thing for posterity sake and for the good of Imo, adding that Imolites are tired and fed up with insecurity, hardship, bad governance and poor leadership. He lamented that families are bereaved and Imolites are suffering under this present regime.
“We are tired of this government but we are not tired of living or pushing. We must get it right this time. We must conquer. Our mumu don do”, he inferred.
Responding, the Head of Voter Education and Publicity Department, Mrs. Emmanuella Ben Okpara warmly received the party to the commission and assured them that November 11th Election must be free, fair and credible.
She reminded them that Imo INEC REC alone will not supritend over the coming Election, adding that as an off circle Election other RECS will come and participate, as such all the RECS will not be wrong at the same time.
“Bivas will be deployed in this election. The Bivas have arrived and must function optimally. The Bivas have never failed and cannot fail in this election. It is an assurance. We cannot go against the mandate of the law. We must do that which the Constitution stipulates. Free and fair Election must be achieved come November 11th”, she reiterated.
