….Alleges widespread violence, voter intimidation
By Alumona Ukwueze
NSUKKA—The National Vice Chairman (South-East) of the People’s Redemption Party, PRP, Peter Okafor, on Monday, condemned last Saturday’s Enugu North Senatorial District by-election, describing it as a mockery of democracy and calling for its cancellation.
Speaking to journalists in Nsukka after monitoring the election, Okafor alleged that the exercise was marred by widespread violence, voter intimidation, ballot box snatching, and other electoral irregularities.
According to him, the scale of violence witnessed during the poll was unexpected for a senatorial by-election.
“I am surprised that in an ordinary senatorial by-election, there was so much thuggery, electoral violence, and the snatching of ballot boxes and electoral materials,” he said.
Okafor further alleged that some PRP supporters were attacked during the election, claiming that one was shot while another sustained severe injuries from an axe attack. He also accused electoral and security officials of being absent in some polling units.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to either cancel the election or declare the party’s candidate, Charles Ugwuanyi, the winner.
The Director-General of the PRP Campaign Organisation, Juliet Ugwuoke, urged INEC to nullify the election, citing what she described as widespread electoral violence across the senatorial district.
Ugwuoke, who said she monitored the exercise in all six local government areas of the district, alleged that PRP agents were driven out of some polling units during the voting process.
In a similar vein, the senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in the Enugu North senatorial district by-election, Bishop Oscar Ossai, has rejected the outcome of the poll held on June 20, citing what he described as widespread electoral irregularities and malpractices.
In a statement yesterday, Ossai said he arrived at the decision after consultations with the leadership of the NDC, party agents, election observers, stakeholders, and supporters across the district.
According to him, the electoral process failed to meet the standards of credibility, transparency, and fairness expected in a democratic election.
The NDC candidate alleged that reports received from various parts of the senatorial district indicated multiple infractions, including the non-use of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, in some polling units and the alleged circumvention of the accreditation process in certain locations.
He also raised concerns over what he described as significant discrepancies between results announced at polling units and figures reflected during the collation process.
Other allegations highlighted in the statement included widespread vote-buying and voter inducement, incidents of violence and intimidation, harassment of voters, and reports of physical injuries linked to election-related disturbances.
Ossai further alleged that there were cases of unlawful thumb-printing and manipulation of ballot papers in violation of established electoral guidelines.
“The cumulative effect of these reports raises serious questions about whether the declared outcome genuinely reflects the freely expressed will of the people of Enugu North Senatorial District,” he said.
While noting that the allegations would require investigation and legal scrutiny, the NDC candidate maintained that, if proven, they could have materially affected both the credibility and outcome of the election.
He disclosed that his legal team, in collaboration with the party, had commenced the collation of documentary evidence, witness statements, polling unit records, video materials, and other relevant information for presentation before appropriate legal and constitutional authorities.
Ossai also expressed sympathy for voters, party agents, and supporters who allegedly suffered intimidation, harassment, violence, or physical injury during the election.
He called on security agencies to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all reported incidents and ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted in accordance with the law.
