By stanley amadi
The APC in the state through the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the State Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Imo Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC). Mr Onwuemeodo said this yesterday, Wednesday, April 22nd, while addressing journalists at the Rochas Campaign Organisation along Okigwe Road, Owerri.
Sam Onwuemeodo told newsmen that their major opponents in the election in Imo State is the REC, a statement which he alleged has been confirmed by recent happenings in the state. Mr Onwuemeodo accused INEC of “working out the winner of the election in the state from the answer”. The Media SA to the governor equally accused INEC in the state of preparing result sheets for the PDP which he said have been kept aside, waiting for declaration, stressing that however the people vote does not in any way matter to APC as well as adding that the PDP did same in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Sam Onwuemeodo said the PDP would have done the same in the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections but for the level of resistance they met. According to Onwuemeodo, INEC ended up having results for PDP without supporting results from the polling booths, adding that there were no forms EC8A, EC8B AND EC8C, which he said APC begin to petition INEC, requesting that the INEC Chairman should redeploy the Imo State REC.
Sam Onwuemeodo also accused INEC of procuring ballot papers, forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C, which he said the Head of Operations, INEC, and fifteen other INEC staff were thumb-printing and re-writing results in the INEC office as it affects some Local Government Areas in the state. The Media SA told journalists at the Rochas Campaign Organisation that, on getting the tipoff as good citizens, the APC alerted the State Security Service, SSS, who he said swung into action and consequently caught the INEC officials thumb-printing ballot papers inside INEC office.
According to Mr Onwuemeodo, the results were assiduously fabricated for Aboh Mbaise, Ezinihitte Mbaise and Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Areas, alongside Oru East Local Government Area and many other local government areas where results were announced for the PDP without the existence of forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C. As at the time of filing this report, the Media SA told newsmen, the victims are in the custody of the SSS operatives, whom he said are continuing investigations.
Mr Sam Onwuemeodo further stressed that there was no way the Director of operations in the INEC office would been involved in the thumb-printing of ballot boxes at the INEC office with the cooperation of the INEC REC in the state, and therefore demanded that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state be arrested immediately for investigations and prosecution. The APC in the state through the media SA equally called for the arrest and prosecution of those who were arrested on 11th April, 2015 whose homes were converted to Ward collation centres.
The APC-led government also added that the video of the people in question and their operations have been handed over to the police as proof, alleging that all the ballot papers printed were all in favour of the PDP and none in favour of the APC.
The SA Media to Governor Okorocha told newsmen that the lives of the APC supporters in the areas slated for election come April 25th are in jeopardy, while accusing the PDP of bringing in lots of fake policemen, fake soldiers and militants from the South-South who he said the PDP had equipped with weapons to annihilate the APC supporters in areas slated for re-run elections. Mr Onwuemeodo finally added that the APC is aware of the whole plots and antics of the PDP poised to rigging the election and thus called on the PDP and their candidate in the state, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha to emulate the good example of President Goodluck Jonathan by accepting defeat so as to save the lives of many innocent citizens.
