Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State, Chijioke Edeoga, has vowed to explore all options that are available, saying they are not going to rule anything out in the legal process.
He spoke during a press conference on the recently announced results of the election where the candidate of the PDP, Peter Mbah, emerged winner.
Edeoga said the result as announced by INEC was not in consonance with the votes cast, adding that they have multiple evidence of clear illegalities that are not in line with the electoral laws.
He said they have several cases of over-voting, stating that they have several cases of ballot box snatching, and several places where people bypassed the BVAS, where people who were said to have voted or votes ascribed to people were higher than what was captured by the BVAS as accredited voters.
“The election did not meet the standard expected; it was marred by brigandage; it was almost like warfare; ballot boxes were snatched, changing of figures, kidnapping and imprisonment of electoral officers, in Udenu and Nkanu East, fake security officers with tags and uniforms procured for them with government vehicles. Local government chairmen spearheaded this heist that occurred in Enugu State and it is not acceptable.
“We want to urge our people in Enugu State to remain calm and peaceful, prayerful. Keep faith in God knowing that truth, justice shall prevail.
“The returning officer finally displayed Pontius Pilate’s kind of attitude by saying the result was given to him, that he was declaring it because he was a man under authority. It is a clever way of washing his good hands out of what he was being forced to announce. Pontius Pilate did it. So, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe, who is the leader of the Scripture Union Nigeria, every situation produces a hero, to an extent he is a hero, but he could have gone further; he should have gone further.
“If he were forced to announce something that was not in consonance with his belief, he should have opted out, maybe his courage failed him but at least he tried. This their ‘go to court, go to court’, which has become the mantra of electoral robbers in Nigeria, would have happened two days earlier if not for him, though it eventually happened. His firmness, especially against the declaration of the REC, it was obvious on television that he (REC) was a hatchet man, hired to take certain acts. You saw him trying to shout down the returning officer,” he said.
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