.Says Party Not Comfortable With Same Officials
Following the backdrop of the just concluded general elections and the abysmal performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State, the Peoples Democratic Party hereby calls for immediate redeployment of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof Sylvia Agu and the 27 LGA Electoral Officers.
This request is in congruence with similar demands by some other concerned groups and organizations, such as the International Society for Civic Liberties and Rule of Law, lntersociety, in its letter to the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu. The group without equivocation demanded the transfers of the state INEC REC, Prof Sylvia Agu and her team of electoral officers, over alleged involvement in electoral fraud in the last elections.
“The conduct of the federal and state elections were spurious and most horrendous of all elections conducted in the history of democratic practices in the state. Prof Sylvia Agu and her team of Electoral Officers exhibited characters that were devoid of transparency and in deviance with established democratic norms. The reckless and inordinate practices of the team, culminated into the phantomic declaration of 26 out of 27 seats of the State House of Assembly in favour of the APC. A situation that has attracted nationwide condemnations.
The March 11 state elections were characterized by unimaginable electoral heists such as abduction of INEC adhoc staff and doctoring of results under the watch of the Imo REC. There were reported cases where in the full glare of security agents, ballot papers were mass thumb printed and admitted by the INEC without passing through the BVAS machines. Most sordid among the sharp practices, were recorded cases where in connivance with electoral staff, results were allegedly written and declared in areas where elections did not take place, such areas included those prone to security challenges.
These among others, were the sorry state of the general elections in the state. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hereby rejects in entity, a repeat occurrence of the abuse and degradation of the principles and tenets of transparent electioneering, with emphasis on the forthcoming governorship elections. We are major opposition and stakeholders and can no longer sit aloof while our nascent democracy is washed down the drain, by the conspiracies of some undemocratic and unprogressive elements.
