From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
The governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Ebonyi State, Mr Adol Awam, has announced his intention to challenge the outcome of the 2023 governorship election in the state over violence and sundry electoral malpractices he said characterised the election.
He stated this while briefing newsmen in Abakaliki on Thursday.
He lamented that one Fred Alobu, his agent at Ekpaomaka Ikwo in Ikwo LGA of the state was kidnapped and whisked away on the day of the election while Mr Thomas Obodo, his agent at Polling unit 009, Igboagu ward 2 in Izzi Local Government Area of the state was killed by suspected political thugs.
“We have a reputation and a legacy to protect, and we will not be part of any action that could jeopardise our integrity and the trust of our supporters.
“It is with a heavy heart that I extend my condolences to the family of the Late Thomas Obodo, a former party agent of the NNPP, who was killed by thugs in Izzi LGA while protecting the votes of Ebonyians.
“The NNPP is deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident, and we call on the relevant authorities to ensure that justice is served. I also extend my condolences to the PDP over the loss of one of their LGA chairmen.
“Unfortunately, the election was an absolute sham as it was plagued with irregularities, such as failure to use BVAS to upload election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) in real-time, disenfranchisement of voters, rigging, vote buying, violence and intimidation, manipulation of election results, under-supply of voting materials, over-voting, ballot box stuffing and others, are issues of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
“It is on this premise that the NNPP sternly rejects the outcome of the election since it is glaring that the process was flawed. Consequently, a flawed process will eventually produce a flawed outcome. Therefore we call on INEC to cancel the gubernatorial elections in Ebonyi State. We are not alone in this as several other parties have also rejected the results and are in tune with our position.
“It is disheartening to note that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) failed to live up to its mandate of ensuring a free, fair, and credible election. However, we want to reassure all Ebonyians that we will explore all legal means available to ensure that justice is served. We remain committed to our vision of building a better Ebonyi State, where every citizen can live, work and prosper in a peaceful and secure environment. We urge all Ebonyians to remain calm and law-abiding as we pursue the legal process to reclaim our mandate,” he said.