A large number of youths from various local government areas in Abia State on Monday protested the outcome of the Saturday elections in the state.The protesters, who stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission office in the state, displayed placards bearing various inscriptions.
Policemen barricaded the road leading to the INEC office, while the protesters blocked a section of the road leading to the state secretariat and the INEC office.
The protesters alleged that the presidential and the National Assembly elections were full of manipulation and rigging.
They also called for the cancellation of the results, saying elections did not hold in some parts of the state where results were declared.
One of the protesters said, “How can somebody lost elections in all the wards and polling units in his constituency and end up winning at the INEC office?”
The leader of the group, Nwaji Silvanus, said the youths were protesting the robbery of their will.
“There was no election on Saturday in various parts of the state. Cases of ballot boxes snatched and thumb printed were discovered, yet, INEC accepted the result. The result sheets were doctored and totally different from what they recorded from the fields. The people know who they voted for and they have come to express their displeasure at the subversion of the will of the people,” he said.
An elderly man, Kingsley Eboh, also claimed that officials coming to conduct elections in his polling unit were attacked and thet fled. Yet results were declared for the polling unit.
“The result as it stands currently does not represent the wish of the people.
“We will not accept the results. They did not reflect our wishes,” a protester, who identified himself as Emmanuel Uzo said.
