Enugu: LP candidate, Edeoga petitions INEC Against result, demands cancellation of Nkanu East LG result

The Labour Party and Chijioke Edeoga, its candidate for governor in Enugu State, have petitioned INEC to challenge the results from the Nkanu East Local Government area on the grounds that BVAS was not utilized for the council poll.
In the meantime, rallies for and against the acceptance of the Nkanu East results have been organized in front of the INEC office in Enugu by both PDP and Labour Party members.
The contender, Edeoga, has in the interim issued a formal petition to INEC about the Nkanu East council results, requesting that they be thrown out. He claimed that because BVAS was not used, elections there were not held in accordance with the 2022 Electoral Act.

They alleged that there were manipulations of the electoral process, especially over-voting and voter suppression.

“In most parts of Enugu State, the election was marred by obvious irregularities, but we want to focus specifically on Nkanu East Local Government Area.

“Nkanu East has produced two different results. The result that my agent signed, which is available, is far different from the result which was taken to INEC headquarters and is now a subject of controversy.

“I want to state categorically that our position of Nkanu East Local Government is that the result of Nkanu East cannot stand; it stands against reason, stands against common sense. It stands against the records available of what is the voting strength of Nkanu East and it stands against the number of voters that were accredited and the number of PVCs that were collected.

“So, the result of Nkanu East is not acceptable; it is not acceptable to the Labour Party and I call for its total cancellation, so that the due processes should be followed. At any point in time when the number of PVCs collected and accreditation do not tally with number of votes, one is enjoined to stay action and cross-check.

“Of course, you know that Udenu LGA, the electoral officer was whisked away and the results completely altered when she went in custody of INEC headquarters. What was collated in Udenu, that was going to be announced, is far different from what was announced when she was taken away.

“In virtually all the polling units, what was recorded is far different from what was uploaded. The PVCs collected and the accredited voters have no relationship at all with the votes ascribed to people.

“We are going to respond comprehensively, but I want to state categorically that the Labour Party and its governorship candidate in Enugu State do not accept the result of Nkanu East and we call for its cancellation. It is a flagrant abuse of the electoral process and such brigandage should not be allowed to stay; it is very injurious to every effort we are making to build a democratic system that is representative of the people’s will.”

It was alleged that only about 15000 votes that were genuinely recorded in Kanu East council.