Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to announce the election results of Obingwa local government area so that aggrieved candidates can approach the court to seek for justice.
In a statement signed by the Secretary-General of the apex Igbo group, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group accused INEC of double standards and inconsistencies”.
The statement reads, “we demand that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC must strive to avoid playing double standards, with its inconsistencies regarding the electoral umpire’s bizarre decision to suspend the announcement of Governorship results from Obingwa LGA”.
According to INEC, announcement of the result of the said LGA was suspended for investigation and interrogation.
Ohanaeze noted that unfortunately, that was inconsistent with the electoral umpire’s position during the Presidential election where the Labour Party Candidate, Mr Peter Obi and other aggrieved parties were asked to challenge the contentious presidential election results in court.
Stating, “it was based on the premise that we wish to state that it is only the court, not INEC that has the powers to reject or upturn a result that had already been declared by the returning officers at the LGA / State levels” it stated.
We urge INEC to strive to be consistent despite her glaring inconsistencies.
“Using the commission’s position on the presidential election as a precedent, we urge INEC to immediately announce the Obingwa LGA Governorship election results and proceed to announce the winner of the election. It is disheartening when INEC appears to have different set of rules for different political parties and personalities. That is very unhealthy for Nigerian democracy”, the group added.
Chairman, Obidience Across Parties Alliance (OAPA), Abia State