The candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Messrs Hope Uzodinma and Musa Ododo were yesterday declared as winners of the governorship polls conducted on Saturday, November 11 in Imo and Kogi states respectively.
Announcing the result in Owerri, Imo State, the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Abayomi Fasina, said Uzodinma scored 523, 817 of the total votes cast
The result also showed that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Samuel Anyanwu 79, 438 votes while the Labour Party (LP) flag bearer Mr Athan Achonu received 63, 368 votes.
Uzodimma, 64, who is winning a second term, contested against 17 other candidates in the election.
In Kogi, Ododo was declared the winner of the election with 446,237 votes.
The state returning officer, Prof Johnson Urama, who announced the result in Lokoja late Sunday night, also said the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Mr Muri Ajaka, scored 259, 052 votes while the PDP standard bearer, Mr Dino Melaye received 46,362 votes.
Meanwhile, Anyanwu has demanded for the nullification of the election saying he and the PDP would not settle for anything other than total cancellation of the poll.
Addressing the media in Owerri, Anyanwu said both INEC and the security agents failed in their constitutional responsibility to deliver a credible election to the people of the state.
The PDP candidate alleged that the security agents protected INEC staff to write the election results.
Similarly, Achonu alleged that the exercise was marred by irregularities, including vote-buying and physical assaults on LP agents.
Addressing journalists in Ehime Mbano, the LP candidate said called for the cancellation of the election.
Achonu also accused the security personnel of complicity in electoral saying there is a video proof in which a police officer was beaten for attempting to snatch a ballot box.
“Our democracy was raped in the full glare of security personnel, whose salaries we pay from our commonwealth.
“Collation was suddenly moved from the ward to local government centres and only APC agents were allowed to enter, while agents of other parties were locked out.
“And to you, my supporters, thank you for your doggedness and steadfastness; you fought hard, and I am proud of you all.
“I have not lost hope in the judiciary; there are so many men of integrity therein, and we shall reclaim our mandate.”
“My party chairman was beaten up at the collation centre, as is evident in a widely circulated video. And instead of arresting those who beat him, the police arrested and detained him.
“Let’s save the drift into anarchy; let’s save our country and her democracy. There was no election yesterday (Saturday), and we call on the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, to cancel the purported results,” Achonu said.
In Kogi, Melaye, alleged at a press conference held yesterday in Lokoja that result sheets were manipulated before the commencement of the accreditation of voters on Saturday.
“Yesterday (Saturday), there was no election in the five local governments of the central senatorial district in Kogi state. In the end, surprisingly, accreditation was done manually, the BVAS was not used,” he said.
Also reacting, the state chapter of the SDP called for the cancellation of the results in Okene, Okehi, Ogori Magongo, Adavi, and Ajaokuta local government areas alleging voter fraud.
