NASS poll: Returning officer dissociates self from Abia
North result
Dr Ihekwaba Chukwugoziem, Returning Officer for Abia North
Senatorial District in the March 28 National Assembly elections, has
disassociated himself from results
emanating from the election.
Chukwugoziem said in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia on
Friday, that he could not announce the results because of ''irregularities and
massive fraud.''
He claimed that the irregularities and fraud were
perpetrated in all the five local government areas of the constituency
comprised of Ohafia, Arochukwu, Bende, Isuikwuato and Umunneochi.
The returning officer said that it was discovered from the
field that fake documents were used to record the results and later transferred
into the original result sheets.
He also said that hoodlums later besieged the collation
centre in Ohafia local government headquarters and threatened to kill him, if
the verdict was not in their favour.
Chukwugoziem claimed that the attack by the hoodlums and
sporadic shootings made him to become apprehensive as to which result to
announce.
‘’My concern was how
we will escape from the place alive,’’ he said, adding that they were later
rescued by security operatives.
According to him, he had made recommendations in a report to
the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Selina Oko for the conduct of a
re-run in the area.
Chukwugoziem said that Oko had constituted a committee to
review the results.
He also told reporters that he refused to sign the result
document because ‘’those who were the collating officers at a point were not
sure of what they were doing.''
‘``As the returning officer, it is my duty to announce the
results but I have not done so,’’ he said.
The returning officer called for a re-run to be ``strictly
supervised by security operatives from the polling units to the collation
centres.''
He said that he had been receiving threat calls and messages
in his cell phone since the end of the elections.
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