The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Imo
State, has declared Jerry Alagboso of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner
of the Orlu/Orsu/Oru East federal constituency election. The electoral body had
earlier declared the election inconclusive, but the Resident Electoral
Commissioner, Prof. Francis Chukwuemeka Ezeonu later declared Mr. Alagboso
winner.
Giving reasons for the reversal, Ezeonu said that the
Returning Officer did not apply the electoral guidelines properly in declaring
the election inconclusive. According to Ezeonu, the electoral guidelines had
stipulated that areas where card readers were not deployed, either as a result
of violence or compromise, such areas should have zero returns.He said that
some of the areas declared inconclusive actually had results, while others
didn’t.
This, he said, necessitated INEC to have a rethink and apply
the electoral law, as stipulated.
In announcing the result, the Returning Officer, Prof.
Innocent Madufor, said that Alagboso polled 21273 to defeat the AA candidate,
Dr. Ikenna Ihezuo, who polled 2,171 votes and APC’s Edwin Iheanacho, with 20061
votes.
Immediately the results were announced, there was an uproar
as the three parties accused INEC of bias. They are protesting the results and
have vowed to go to court.
