Kalu Rejects Declaration of Ohuabunwa Winner after Returning Officer Declared Election Inconclusive

The former Governor of Abia State and PPA candidate in the last saturday’s Abia North Senatorial rerun election, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has reaction rejected INEC’s declaration of PDP’s candidate Mao Ohuabunwa as winner by INEC  5 hours after declaring the election inconclusive. In a text message to Igbere TV Orji Uzor Kalu said:

“After declaring an election inconclusive only to turn around after everybody has gone to declare the loser (PDP) winner is absurd.  I thank you all for all your prayers, support and love. It is not over, I will continue to fight until Abia North LOST GLORY is restored. Keep HOPE ALIVE!”

A replay of the April 2015 governorship result collation in which the state returning officer reversed himself after cancelling the result of three local government areas played out again yesterday in Abia State. The returning officer for the Abia North senatorial rerun election, Dr. Nduka Nwankwo-Ojike, reversed his earlier declaration of the election as inconclusive by declaring the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mao Ohuabunwa, winner of the election.

Nwankwo-Ojike, the head of Department of Engineering, Michael Okpara University, Umudike, had declared the Saturday senatorial rerun inconclusive at 7a.m. on Sunday after a night long collation based on the fact that the margin of lead of 195 votes is far lower than the number that did not vote put at 62,000. He said it will not be fair to disenfranchise 62,000 voters.

Other reasons he gave for declaring the rerun inconclusive was the report of ballot box and voting materials snatching, failure of card reader and absence of result sheet in some of the polling units. He had declared from the result collated that the PDP candidate, Ohuabunwa scored 26,009 votes while the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) candidate, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu followed closely with 25,814 votes.

After declaring the rerun inconclusive, the returning officer was ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state to go back and declare the PDP candidate winner of the rerun. Six hours later, by 12p.m., Nwankwo-Ojike returned to Ohafia Local Government headquarters and did as he was ordered. Reacting to the reversal, the PPA agent, Chief Madukwe Ukaegbu, said he was shocked to hear that the rerun “that was declared inconclusive by 7a.m. has been reversed by 12p.m.”

He said: “Abia has turned to a place where elections are rigged and manipulated against the wishes of the people.” Ukaegbu said it was sad and disappointing that this kind of thing could happen with the active connivance of INEC.

The PPA agent said that the party had taken in good fate the declaration of the returning officer for those places with problem be done the next day. But the PDP agent, Udo Uduma, said that there is no provision for inconclusiveness in a rerun, saying that whatever the margin of lead was enough to declare the winner. Effort to get the INEC head of voter education, Mr. Edwin Enabor, to comment on the matter proved abortive as he did not pick his calls.