The governorship candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party(NNPP), Ebonyi State in the just concluded general elections in the country, Prophet Adol Awam has vowed to challenge the declaration of Chief Francis Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the state governorship election.
Awam said he will be approaching the governorship election petition tribunal to cancel the election for alleged irregularities in the election.
At a press conference in Abakaliki, the state capital, Awam alleged that the election was characterized by vote-buying, manipulation, killings, intimidation and harassment of voters.
He further alleged that in Igbeagu ward 2 polling unit 009, Izzi local government area, NNPP agent was killed during the governorship election by political thugs while protecting votes cast by the electorate.
He also alleged that one Fred Alobu, the party supporter as abducted in Ekpaomaka, Ikwo local government area at 8:am on the day of the election and taken to a forest where he was held hostage by political thugs and released at 11pm of that day.
” I must address the shameful pettiness exhibited by the ruling party during the electioneering period. It is highly disheartening to hear that they spread a baseless and unfounded propaganda that I, Prophet Dr.Adol Awam of the NNPP, had stepped down from the gubernatorial race. Let me state categorically that such falsehood was inconceivable and never an option for us.
“We have a reputation and a legacy to protect, and we will not be part of any action that could jeopardize our integrity and the trust of our supporters.
“Furthermore, it is with a heavy heart that I extend my condolences to the family of Late Thomas Obodo, a former party agent of the NNPP, who was killed by thugs in Izzi LGA while protecting the votes of Ebonyians.
“The NNPP is deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident, and we call on the relevant authorities to ensure that justice is served. I also extend my condolences to the PDP over the loss of one of their LGA chairmen.
“It is unfortunate that the election was an absolute sham as it was plagued with irregularities, such as failure to use BVAS to upload election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IRE) in real time, disenfranchisement of voters, rigging, vote buying, violence and intimidation, manipulation of election results, under-supply of voting materials, over-voting, ballot box stuffing and others are issues of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
“It is on this premise that the NNPP sternly rejects the outcome of the election since it is apparently glaring that the process was flawed. Consequently, a flawed process will eventually produce a flawed outcome. Therefore we call on INEC to cancel the gubernatorial elections in Ebonyi State. We are not alone in this as several other parties have also rejected the results and are in tune with our position.
“It is disheartening to note that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to live up to its mandate of ensuring a free, fair, and credible election. However, we want to reassure all Ebonyians that we will explore all legal means available to ensure that justice is served. We remain committed to our vision of building a better Ebony State, where every citizen can live, work and prosper in a peaceful and secure environment. We urge all Ebonyians to remain calm and law-abiding as we pursue the legal process to reclaim our mandate”, he stated.
