By Ngwuoke Ngwuoke
Governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the March 18 Governorship Election, Mr Frank Nweke Jnr has rejected the outcome of the exercise, describing it as an assault on the nation’s democracy.
Nweke also vowed to explore and exhaust every action required to ensure the legitimacy of the next government in Enugu State.
Nweke told newsmen in Enugu that the election which produced Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner, was a complete sham and far from being free, fair and transparent.
He added that the entire process, down to the declaration of its winner, was a complete farce and would lack legitimacy for as long as it stands.
His words: “I often said during my campaign that I would offer my congratulations and best wishes to whoever emerged in a fair and transparent manner. This election was far from fair and certainly, not transparent.
“The violence, thuggery, intimidation, use of divisive sentiments, and the weaponization of poverty against our people, which the Peoples Democratic Party deployed in the course of the campaign and the elections reflect the desperation of the Party to hold on to power against the will of the people. It was never about service or the good of ndi Enugu; and the impunity with which these wicked acts were carried out is sickening.
“Very early in the morning of Saturday, March 18, town criers travelled through several communities in Enugu state ordering anyone who would not vote in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party to stay home”.
Nweke added, “The results of Nkanu East local government area which were contested, got reviewed and revised by the national office of INEC without any basis given for the change in numbers. If it was a case of over-voting, the expectation is that the result from the local government area should have been cancelled.
“It does seem that the numbers were simply manufactured to fit a preprogrammed outcome and read out to the public, as can be inferred from the Returning Officer of INEC in the state, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe’s comments about acting under authority and reading out what he had been given”.
The APGA candidate, who said he had no problem losing an election to the will of the people, vowed to explore and exhaust every action required to ensure the legitimacy of the next government in Enugu State.
