In what appears to be a u – turn, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Amajirionwu Blyden of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the just-concluded Ngor Okpala State Assembly bye – election in Imo state, despite its earlier statement that it would not accept results from polling units and wards where its ahhoc staff were allegedly kidnapped by thugs
There were reports of ballot snatching and kidnap of INEC officials in Umuowa (Ward 6), Umuhu and Nnorie communities, leading to earlier claim by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Francis Ezeonu, that the election was marred with irregularities and abduction of their adhoc staff.
Ezeonu had during a press conference earlier, expressed anger on carting away of INEC materials “by unknown persons” destructions and abduction of their staff, vowing that the commission will not tolerate such actions.
But the Returning Officer, Dennis Akor, a professor of Drama and Critical Theory in the Alex Ekwueme University, Ebonyi State, had in in a trending online early Sunday, announced the results in Umuneke at the Council Headquarters
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He said that the APC candidate polled 9,248 while Jeff Nwachukwu of the PDP scored 7,071 votes.
