By Jimitota Onoyume

All Progressives Congress, APC , in Delta state has challenged the outcome of the  governorship election in the state , saying the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, violated portions of the  Electoral Act while collating the results. 

A petition addressed to the Retuning Officer, RO, Delta state governorship 2023 election and signed by the Director,  Election and Strategy of the party, Mr Godwin Anaughe listed twenty local government areas where the alleged violations occured ,  adding that the party raised it observations before the electoral body. 

The petition also copied  the national body of INEC , police and the media said until the anomalies were redressed it would amount to another gross violation of the electoral laws if the Retuning Officer declared a winner for the governorship poll. 

“The collation of the result of the Delta State Governorship election held on the 18th day of March 2023 is being done across the board without regard to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022. Section 64(4) of the Electoral Act.

“For the avoidance of doubt, without prejudice to the correctness of any collated result, as may arise from any inquest, the All Progressives Congress has disputed and is still disputing before this Collation Body, the correctness of the collated results from all polling units in the following Local Government Areas of Delta State: Aniocha North. Aniocha South, Ika North East, Ika South, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, Ukwani,Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Bomadi (Only Wards 07, 08 and 09, that is, Akugbene1, Akugbene2 and Akugbene3), Burutu, Patani,Warri North,Warri South West,Warri South, Isoko North. Ethiope East,Okpe, Ughelli South (only Wards 04, 05, 07 and 08), and Sapele (Only Wards 02, 03, 05, 08 and 10).

“The law permits a dispute as to the correctness of any result or collated result to be raised at any stage or level of collation. Once a dispute is raised, the returning officer MUST adopt and follow the procedure in section 64(6)(a)-(d) as quoted above. The returning officer has no discretion in the matter. This is the purport of section 64(8) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

“In view of the totality of the foregoing, we demand that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and the polling unit results (FORMs EC 8A), FORMs EC8B (WARD LEVEL COLLATED RESULT) and FORMs EC 8C (LOCAL GOVERNMENT COLLATED RESULTS) in the respective areas where the results are disputed be reviewed in line with the dictates of the electoral Act regarding collation of result.”