Imo PDP candidate urges INEC to declare him winner
- PDP candidate in Imo state senatorial by-election has declared himself winner of the poll
- According to Emmanuel Okewulonu, the court had already disqualified the APC candidate
- The politician also alleged that it is wrong for INEC to declare APC as the winner without mentioning name of the candidate
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The just-concluded by-election in Imo state has continued to generate controversies. This is evidenced by the press statement issued by one of the candidates in the election.
According to Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the by-election for Imo north senatorial district, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should declare him as the winner, The Nation reports.
He asked the electoral umpire to comply with the court judgements disqualifying both Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and Frank Ibezim of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from taking part in the election.
He argued that he won the election in accordance with extant laws.
Okewulonu who addressed a press conference on Monday, December 7, in Owerri, the Imo state capital, said the by-election was never contested by the APC.
Source: UGC
He said:
“It is in fact rather absurd, and an intolerable aberration for INEC to have allowed the APC to even purport to have participated in that election, or to record any votes thereof in its favour. In the history of elections in Nigeria, it has never happened that a political party is declared as an election winner without at the same time announcing the corresponding candidate of that winning party who is to benefit from its victory."
Recall that Legit.ng had reported that Chukwuma Francis Ibezim was disqualified as the candidate of APC in the by-election.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, December 4, disqualified Ibezim from contesting the election.
Ibezim was found guilty of making false statements in the documents he submitted to the APC and the INEC.
Legit.ng had also reported that some officials of INEC were on Friday, December 4, attacked by thugs in the Mangu local government of Plateau state.
Reports have it that the motorcade of the officials was attacked when they were on their way to Shendam local government, headquarters of Plateau South senatorial district, to conduct the by-election which held on Saturday, December 5.
The motorcade was carrying some senior electoral officials, including Mohammed Haruna, the national commissioner, and Halilu Pai the state resident electoral commissioner.
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Source: Legit.ng
