Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, has criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring the governorship elections in the state inconclusive.
The INEC Returning Officer of the State, Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe, announced on Sunday, April 12, 2015 that the polls were inconclusive because of some irregularities in the voter count.
The governor however rejected the decision and declared himself winner of the elections.
Okorocha expressed the sentiment while speaking to journalists on Monday, April 13. He said:
“The electoral act has talked about registered voters and in the workings of that act and in the spirit of the law, you cannot not make use of number of registered voters, you have to make use of number of PVC collected.”
“But now they are basing on the number of registered voters. Number of registered voters do not cast the vote; it is the number of PVC collected that does. You can only change the date of a burial but you cannot change the burial. From the results available, the fact speaks for itself, we have won this election despite all the irregularities, I am the winner.”
“Let me say that there is no basis for comparison when I’m told that I’m in contest with the PDP candidate and he scored some votes it is not true. I think I’m in contest with more unseen elements than the candidate himself. If this election is conducted in the way it should be conducted in a free and fair manner, my opponent would have up to 100,000 votes. Never. Not in Imo State; not at all.”
Before the elections were declared inconclusive, Okorocha was in the lead with 385,071 votes as against his opponent, Emeka Ihedioha’s 306,142 votes.
