According to reports, some members of the Labour Party in Imo State, yesterday staged a protest at the state secretariat office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Owerri, the state capital, over the alleged delay in the release of the Certified True Copy of the result of the just-concluded governorship election in the state.
The Labour Party, LP Chairman in the state, Calistus Ihejiagwa, who led the enraged members of the opposition, accused INEC of trying to frustrate his party from challenging the result of the November poll.
However, the LP members, who sang solidarity songs, displayed placards with various inscriptions such as, ‘INEC justice delayed is justice denied’, ‘INEC is supposed not be biased’, ‘INEC should be independent’, ‘INEC release CTC’, etc.
The Labour Party Chairman while speaking to journalists at the Imo INEC headquarters, said the result as declared by INEC was not the true reflection of what transpired at the polling units.
Ihejiagwa, who spoke in a wheelchair, said INEC and the security agents allegedly connived with the members of the All Progressives Congress to compromise the election.
He emphasized that his party was ready to challenge the outcome of the election in court but INEC staff were allegedly employing delay tactics in a bid to frustrate the party from challenging the result of the election at the election petition tribunal.
He said, “The first time I came here was on the evening of 11 November, I was hale and hearty, strong and I came with my two legs. But I was beaten mercilessly and thrown outside from inside the collation room right in the presence of the state Commissioner of Police, two federal commissioners of INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Sylvia Agu, and thugs because I had demanded that the right thing should be done.
“The National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the federal commissioner representing the South-East, Ken Ukaogu, and the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, have refused to release the CTC after nine days.
