INEC Rigged Enugu Governorship Election, Declared Peter Mbah Winner – LP Alleges
The Labour Party has explained how the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, allegedly rigged the March 18 governorship election in Enugu State in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Peter Mbah.
Addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja over the Nasarawa and Enugu governorship tribunal judgments, and Nkanu East State Constituency tribunal judgment, the party said the three cases presented similar facts but the tribunal judgements were different.
In the text of the press conference delivered by Obiora Ifoh, Labour Party National Publicity Secretary, the party said, “The Labour Party candidate, Hon. Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, was cruising to victory with the results of the election declared in 16 out of 17 LGAs of the state when the PDP colluded with INEC to manufacture 30,000 + votes for Mbah in the remaining Nkanu East LGA, even when only about 15,000 voters were accredited to vote in that home LGA of Mbah.
“The INEC returning officer for the state, Prof Maduebibisi Iwe, rejected the figures from Nkanu East because the BVAS was discarded, prompting the INEC headquarters to invite him to Abuja.
“After three days, an Abuja INEC panel led by Festus Okoye reduced the total 33,000+ votes illegally hurled from Nkanu East alone to about 19,000, but gave Mbah almost 17,000 votes to enable him to beat LP’s Edeoga (who was leading with 11,000+ votes) with 3,000+ votes,” he stated.
He explained that it was “over-voting in Nkanu East LGA, especially in Owo and Ugbawka, that prompted the Labour Party and its candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, to approach the Tribunal in the hope that the judiciary will review and correct that anomaly.”
Ifoh said, “Enugu State is a Labour Party State and we make bold to say that the Labour Party’s candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, clearly won the March 18 governorship election held in Enugu. This claim is justified by the outcome of all the other elections held in the State between February and March this year.
“The Labour Party won 2 out of the 3 senatorial seats in the State; 7 out of the 8 Rep seats in the State and 14 out of the 24 seats in the State House of Assembly,” he added.
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He explained that the Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal on Saturday, 21st September 2023 “shockingly delivered a judgment on the disputed election that appeared to have ignored the facts in issue.
“The judgment fell short of the expectations of both the majority of Nigerians and legal pundits who have continued to criticise the fundamental logic and the premise upon which the decision was reached,” he said.
He lamented, “With the recent judgment of the Governorship Election Tribunal in Nasarawa State and the Nkanu East State Constituency Tribunal judgment, the Labour Party is forced to revisit the travesty of justice that took place in the Enugu governorship tribunal judgment, especially given that the three situations presented similar facts, yet different pronouncements were made by the judiciary.”
Recall that the Enugu Governorship Election Tribunal rejected the testimonies of the partitioners’ material witnesses who testified that there was manifest over-voting in Owo and Ugbawka.