NASS Polls: Reps Candidate Faults INEC's Results, Calls For Cancelation

From Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Candidate for Ezza North/Ishielu Federal Constituency in Ebonyi state,Barrister Emmanuel Nwite has expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged irregularities which trailed the House of Representatives election on Saturday in some polling units in his constituency. He made his feeling known Monday in a press conference at Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital. Barrister Nwite condemned the antics displayed by his rivals in some polling units, especially in the Ezza North Local Government Area of the State where the alleged winner of the House of Representatives polls, Chief Joseph Nwobashi hails from.

The PDP candidate for the Ezza North/Ishielu Federal Constituency said the election held in his constituency on Saturday 25th February 2023 alongside the presidential polls was characterized by irregularities. Nwite, who hails from Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, said that the election went successful in his council area, which is the collation centre of his constituency. He noted that the results from the polling units in Ishielu were later moved to the local government collation centre, but expressed dismay at how the results from the Ezza North council area which he expected many votes in his favour were hijacked by his rival, in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Joseph Nwobasi. According to him, "we waited throughout Saturday till Sunday afternoon when the result was not forthcoming, I had to move to Ezza North LGA, to know why the result for the council was not coming and I was shown what is called result. "But it was obvious that the result from Ezza North LGA was not free, fair and credible. This is because there was no accreditation in Ezza North LGA, in some of the polling units, like the Umuezeoka ward, there was no accreditation because the BVAS didn't work. "But we all know that where BVAS didn't work, the INEC ad-hoc staff should call the EO or his/her superior, that they didn't do and they adopted manual accreditation, allowed voters to thumbprint ballot papers and produced results. "The APGA candidate there, Joseph Nwobasi, because he is from Oshegbo, the INEC staff, allocated greater figures to him. The INEC has not declared the results, because when I heard it, I insisted that the INEC can't declare the result." The effort made by the NATIONAL PANEL to get a response from the rivals of Nwite was not successful at the time of filing this report.