Kalu rejects result of N’Assembly poll in Abia North – to Challenge in Court

Posted by admin Abia, Elections 2011, Party Politics, State News Monday, April 11th, 2011

Former governor of Abia State and candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) for Abia North Senatorial District, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has rejected the result of last Saturday’s National Assembly election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced Senator Uche Chukwumerije of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the poll in Abia North. In the result, the commission said Kalu polled 34, 188 votes while Chukwumerije scored 83, 206 votes. Kalu, however, vowed to challenge the result in court because it did not represent the wishes of the people in the Abia North. He alleged that INEC announced a doctored result. He was optimistic that he would win the litigation because he has overwhelming evidence that he won in four of the five local government areas that make up Abia North. His words: “The result of election announced by the INEC does not represent the wish of the people of Abia North. I make bold to say that I won in four of the five local government areas in Abia North Senatorial District. “I am going to challenge the result in a court of law because it was not a true reflection of how people voted during the election. I believe in the judiciary and I am very hopeful that I will claim my victory at the court.”

According to Kalu, Umunneochi Local Government was where he did not win based on an alleged intimidating presence of soldiers that scared eligible voters away from exercising their civic responsibilities. He said it was highly surprising and disheartening that what happened in Umunneochi Local Government could only happen in Igboland and not in other parts of the country where results of elections represent the wishes of the electorate. Kalu alleged that security agents maltreated some corps members and voters during the election, accusing some uniformed men to have also helped in snatching of ballot boxes in the senatorial district. A total of 11 political parties participated in the election in Abia North that comprises Arochukwu, Bende, Isiukwuato, Ohafia and Umunneochi local government areas.

While Chukwumererije hails from Umunneochi, Kalu is from Bende. It was gathered that the announcement of Chukwumerije as winner of the election triggered a protest as coalition of opposition parties in the state called for the cancellation of the poll on allegations of fraud, intimidation, non-availability of result sheets in some polling centres in Umunneochi Local Government Area and outright falsification of election results by the ruling PDP.wp_posts