…one of our agents was killed, another kidnaped, released 

By Peter Okutu

Abakaliki -The Governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, in the 2023 general election, Ebonyi State, Prophet Dr. Adol Awam Chris, Thursday alleged that the results collated during the election were illegally allocated to different political parties as the BVAS was bypassed to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State.

Chris who was dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, rejected the results and stressed that the Party was going to go to the Court to reclaim its mandate.

At a Post Election Press Conference in Abakaliki, the NNPP governorship candidate regretted that one of his Party’s Agents, Thomas Obodo was killed by thugs in Igbagu Ward 3 Polling Unit 009, while another was kidnapped by 8a.m of the penultimate day at Ekpomaka in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

He said: “Furthermore, it is with a heavy heart that I extend my condolences to the family of Late Thomas Obodo, a former party agent of the NNPP, who was killed by thugs in Izzi LGA while protecting the votes of Ebonyians.

“The NNPP is deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident, and we call on the relevant authorities to ensure that justice is served. I also extend my condolences to the PDP over the loss of one of their LGA chairmen.”

“It is unfortunate that the election was an absolute sham as it was plagued with irregularities, such as failure to use BVAS to upload election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) in real time, disenfranchisement of voters, rigging, vote buying, violence and intimidation, manipulation of election results, under-supply of voting materials,over-voting, ballot box stuffing and others are issues of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

‘It is on this premise that the NNPP sternly rejects the outcome of the election since it is apparently glaring that the process was flawed. Consequently, a flawed process will eventually produce a flawed outcome. Therefore we call on INEC to cancel the gubernatorial elections in Ebonyi State. We are not alone in this as several other parties have also rejected the results and are in tune with our position.

“It is disheartening to note that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) failed to live up to its mandate of ensuring a free, fair, and credibleelection.

“However, we want to reassure all Ebonyians that we will explore all legal means available to ensure that justice is served. We remain committed to our vision of building a better Ebonyi State, where every citizen can live, work and prosper in a peaceful and secure environment. 

We urge all Ebonyians to remain calm and law-abiding as we pursue the legal process to reclaim our mandate. Once again, I thank all Ebonyians who supported us throughout this journey, and I assure you that the NNPP will continue to stand for justice, equity, and fairness in Ebonyi State.Thank you.”