Emeka Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State is leading in the results so far collected by independent monitors

WITH an increasing evidence of garnering more and more votes over and above all other candidates in the Saturday, March 9, governorship election in Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP looks very set to emerge the governor-elect. This is as former deputy speaker of the House of Representative is leading his closest rival in the election with an overwhelming margin of over 200 percent across the three senatorial zones.

Poll results obtained from independent monitors show that the PDP governorship candidate, Ihedioha is already leading with 33,332 votes from the total votes gathered so far. The AA candidate, Uche Nwosu is trailing with 10,409, while APGA governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Ararume is following with 5,644. APC’s candidate, Hope Uzodinma is trailing behind APGA with 5,068 votes.

The double-barrel 2019 general elections came to an end on Saturday, March 9. In Imo State, it would have been rated a successful exercise but for some unforgettable sordid happenstances that went with it, including loss of lives, destruction of property, and general atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity.

Indeed, there were some very unpleasant consequences of the 2019 that cannot be overlooked but rehashed. Incidentally, the whole regime of violence was fertilized and fuelled by the expiring governor, Rochas Okorocha, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, the governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA), who the governor was hell-bent at ensuring he emerged his successor-in-office.

For example, soon after the commencement of distribution of election materials on election morning, the sad news of how Action Alliance (AA), All Progressives Congress, APC, and All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, agents were hijacking election materials and intimidating voters with fake military personnel started to make the rounds.

First among such sad stories was the shooting and kidnapping of the Secretary to the Ikeduru PDP Campaign Council at Umuduru-Onuimo Ward.  In the same Ikeduru LGA, there was also the alleged use of fake military personnel  to hijack election materials allocated to Ikeduru Ward 8, Trinity, booth 0017 meant for Okwu Ikeduru to Eziama Ward to the residence of two of the AA Chieftains in the ward, Charles Amadi (Chavon) and Chuks Metu.

In Ezinihitte Mbaise, the military was also used to chase voters out of the local government headquarters, arresting the PDP Youth Leader of Oboama and Umunama Ward 11, and some of the voters, ordering not to see anyone around the environment of the local government.

In Ohaji Egbema, the electorates were reported to have refused to vote in protest for of shortage of ballot papers, which armed thugs of the AA hijacked apparently to thumbprint outside the polling units after realizing that Umuagwo ward has rejected their offer of N2,500 for each vote.

In Ngor Okpala, result sheets of booth 009 and 015 of Ward 2, Obike Elelem was snatched. There were general incidences of violence that were perpetrated by the thugs of the APC-AA. Ballot papers, result sheets and ballot boxes were snatched by thugs believed to have been sponsored by the alliance of APC and AA.

Ohaji Egbema, Oguta and Orlu areas were worse hit as information from Mgbala/Uba ward had it that the Local Government Chairman of Oguta, Hon. Gerald Mgborokwu invaded booth 001 and catered away the sensitive materials with his armed thugs to an unknown destination,  the booth has a total of 942 voters. The local government Chairman of Oguta, Hon. Gerald Mgborokwu  again went to some booths in Uwaorie  ward and took they sensitive materials there with Army personnel and armed thugs.

Also, the materials in booth 004, 005, 006 in the same Uwaorie ward were snatched by Hon. Watchout, Nnanna and Hon.Williams Ejiakor. Elections has were consequently been cancelled in Obudi/Aro ward. The thugs of AA, APC and APGA are shooting sporadically as the electorates takes to their heels.

On the same election day the reported filtered in that dare-devil thugs of the Action Alliance, AA, cum All Progressive Congress, APC, serving the interest of their principal, Uche Nwosu, the AA guber candidate threw caution to the wind and gunned down an agent of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, whose proper identity is yet to be disclosed.

The murder was committed in the course of the Saturday, March 9th governorship and State Assembly elections right in the ward of Uche Nwosu, the AA guber candidate in Eziama Obaire autonomous community of Nkwerre Local Government Area.

An eye-witness account, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that he deceased was shot several times by the thugs that were intimidating voters in the polling units where he dared to prevent them from carting elections materials. Incidentally the hoodlums succeeded in making away with the election materials to undisclosed place.

It may be recalled that on Thursday, March 7th, 2019, unknown persons made attempts on the life of Rt. Hon Jones Onyereri. They missed him but unfortunately hit and injured Engr. Nnamdi Nsorom, a leader in Ihedioha Campaign Organization.

It is instructive that the Saturday, February 23 election and that of March 9, 2019 in Nkwerre, Ohaji Egbema and Oguta LGAs have witnessed irregularities and malpractices.

– Mar. 11, 2019 @ 13:47 GMT |