The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council in Enugu
has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce
the results of the gubernatorial election in the state.
The electoral body on Monday halted the collation of
election results in three LGAs in Enugu and Abia states.
In a statement on Tuesday, the PDP said INEC has no right to
suspend the declaration of result that has already been collated.
The party said INEC is mixing things up by comparing the
Enugu situation to that of Abia, adding that there is nothing like outstanding
LGAs in the state’s collation process.
“Putting the Abia and
Enugu situations in one basket clearly shows that the national headquarters of
INEC is mixing things up or has not been properly briefed,” the statement
reads.
“There is absolutely nothing like outstanding local
governments as far as the collation process in Enugu State is concerned.
“Unlike the situation in Abia State, the results of the
entire 17 LGAs of Enugu State, including those of Nkanu East and Nsukka LGAs,
have been fully collated by the Returning Officer, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, on
Sunday the 19th of March. What remains for the INEC is to sum up the returns by
the Local Government Returning Officers and declare our candidate, Dr. Mbah the
governor-elect.
“That is why we are
saying that INEC is overreaching itself; they have no powers at this stage to
suspend the pronouncement or declaration of the winner of the election, which
is our candidate.
“Section 64(8) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that where
collation has been completed as in the present case of Enugu State, the duty of
the collation officer, who collated the result is to announce the result and
make a declaration.
“Therefore, having collated the results from Nsukka LGA and
Nkanu East LGA, the statutory duty and legal responsibility of the state
returning officer is simply to announce and declare the results, as INEC
cannot, by law, suspend the declaration of result already collated.
“We therefore call on INEC to immediately announce the summation
of the 17 local governments it has already collated and declare Dr. Peter
Ndubisi Mbah the winner of the March election.”
The party said INEC is overheating the Enugu polity and
infuriating the electorate with the delay in pronouncing the winner of the
governorship election.
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