Senator Osita Izunaso of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged winner of the senatorial election in the Imo West senatorial district.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced that Izunaso polled 78,349 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of Labour Party (LP), Charles Ahize, who scored 37,029 to come second.
Izunaso was first elected into the Senate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007.
Meanwhile, Ahize has rejected the election’s outcome, citing a flagrant display of brute force and the use of state power to intimidate voters.
He said available information and video footage during the electoral exercise provided evidence of the blatant hijacking of electoral materials by political thugs working for the Imo State government.
His words, “It will be recalled that in some flashpoint LGAs in Orlu zone, where elections did not hold as a result of insecurity, results were allegedly written and awarded to Izunaso of the APC by the officials of INEC, who were playing the script of the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma.
“It’s easy to manipulate people, choke out results and answer the creator of the highest fake results, fake documents and present to the world as genuine. But I, Charles Ahize, wouldn’t take that. I will fight with the last drop of my blood to reclaim my mandate.”
