Otti won Abia guber polls, APGA insists

All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for rescheduling the Abia State governorship polls, insisting that instead, the party’s standard-bearer, Dr Alex Otti, should be declared winner, having won convincingly in the undisputed 14 local council areas in the April 11 election.

It stated that the cancellation and eventual reversal of results in the disputed Obingwa, Isiala Ngwa and Osisioma council areas was unfair and illegal given that it was “due to pressure and overbearing influence exerted on the State Collation and Returning Officer, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, after a private meeting with Governor Theodore Orji, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh; PDP’s Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) and the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Selinah Oko.”

This was contained in a letter addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega by the APGA National Vice Chairman, Uchenna Okogbuo, and made available to Daily Sun.

In the letter, Okogbuo averred that: “INEC should be consistent in its standard that once an election result is announced, it has no further powers to review the same; and at that point, subsequent complaints lie with the tribunals and court. As a result, declare Otti winner of the Abia State gubernatorial election, having pulled the highest number of votes cast in the election.”