The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State inconclusive, after observing that the total number of cancelled votes was far more than the difference between the votes of highest-scoring and second-placed candidates.
Candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Chief William Obiano polled 174,710 votes to come first while candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Comrade Tony Nwoye polled 94,956 votes to place second. Dr. Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had 92300.
However, realising that the difference in the figures between the first two candidates (79,754) is less than the cancelled votes (113,113), INEC refrained from declaring any candidate the winner.
Of the total 1,763,751 voters registered for the election, 451,826 were accredited, total number of valid votes was 413,005, total number of rejected votes was 16,544, total number of votes cast was 429,549. Out of the cancelled votes, 89,997 were from Idemili North Local Government Area alone while another 636 from two units in Idemili South. APGA won in 16 of the 21 local government areas, APC won in two, PDP won in two, while LP won one.
Meanwhile, a civil rights group in the state, Organising for Anambra State (OFAS) has rejected the results of the elections, describing it as a sham desgned from start to favour APGA’s candidate.
“We strongly reject the results and outcome of the inconclusive Anambra State governorship election, which was meant to hold on November 16, 2013”, the group wrote in a release signed by its coordinator, Chimdi Nzewi.
“The entire exercise was a sham from the onset as it was designed to favour the APGA candidate. Whatever result Professor Jega and his co-travellers have prepared is totally unacceptable and we condemn the attitude and shenanigans of the INEC chairman to that effect”.
OFAS observed that thousands of voters were disenfranchised by INEC in a deliberate ploy to favour the ruling party in the state, APGA.
“The events of November 16, 2013 in Anambra State was pre-planned and the system of rigging adopted is a trademark of the incumbent government in Awka, whereby they remove voters names from the registers in the strongholds of Chris Ngige, Ifeanyi Ubah and Tony Nwoye, in connivance with INEC and the late arrival of materials in those areas, non-payment of allowances of the National Youth Service Corps members on election duties as well as mix up result sheets in order to ensure that voting does not take place!
“It is amazing that even the flag bearer of the PDP, Comrade Tony Nwoye, who only recently voted in the last election, could not find his name in the voters register, the same register which was used in the 2011 elections. We see this as a deliberate ploy to humiliate the PDP candidate. Our people have been disenfranchised, authentic voters, who hitherto, had confirmed their names in the voters register could not cast their votes, whereas a candidate with double registration, an offence punishable by law, was cleared to contest and vote during the elections”.
OFAs declared all the happenings as glaring proof that INEC was compromised, especially as an electoral officer was arrested and the INEC chairman admitted fraudulent practices by his staff during the election.
“Based on the above, we hereby call for the total cancellation of the November 16, 2013 elections held in Anambra State and the immediate prosecution of the double registrants identified.
“We also call for the sack of Professor Onukaogu the controversial INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) who has no moral right to supervise elections going by his antecedents in previous elections. We declare that the election was a charade and we doubt the capacity and integrity of Professor Jega’s led INEC to conduct a free, fair and credible election in 2015, in view of the fact that they could not manage an election in one state.
“We call on the people of Anambra State to remain calm as we shall use all legal means possible to ensure the people of the state achieve equity and fairness in the gubernatorial elections in Anambra State
