Political parties are back to the drawing board in preparation for a repeat of the Imo State House of Assembly re-run election for the Oguta constituency, which has been declared inconclusive in eight wards by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Correspondent okodili ndidi writes on why the election is important to all the stakeholders.
The recent Imo State House of Assembly re-run election for the Oguta Constituency has become a big political puzzle, which many people in the state and across the country are battling to unravel. The reason is clear. Multiple results have been brandished by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) the as the authentic results.
More worrisome is the fact that, despite the parties’ claim to victory, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has held tenaciously to its position that there was no winner in the election. it has declared the election in eight wards inconclusive.
But both parties, relying on different result allegedly signed by the INEC officials, insisted that their candidates won the election and should be issued a Certificate of Return. They accused each other of bribing the officials to falsify the result.
Governor Rochas Okorocha was the first to congratulate the APGA candidate, Mr. Walter Uzonwanne, for emerging the winner of the election, after he was said to have scored a total of 9,595 votes as against the PDP candidate, Eugene Dibiagwu, who got 7, 584 votes.
But the PDP, which equally has a signed election result in its favour, insisted that it won the election with 7, 585 votes while APGA got 7, 241 votes. The governor, who copiously displayed a result sheet signed by INEC Returning Officer in the election, Dr Cynthia Oguike, in favour of APGA, asked the commission to declare the APGA flag bearer as the winner and issue him with a Certificate of Return.
According to him, “INEC was at the verge of announcing the result when they suddenly got a call from somebody at the top and immediately retired to a closed door meeting after which it announced that the election was inconclusive. How can it say the election is inconclusive just because the APGA candidate won. If it were the PDP that won the election, INEC will not declare it inconclusive”.
But the PDP leadership, which also congratulated their candidate, insisted that the party won the election, despite the alleged intimidation and harassment by the security operatives, who they alleged, were incited by the government.
The State Chairman of the party, Eze, Duruiheoma (SAN), alleged that weeks before the election, Okorocha had issued directives to all the traditional rulers and senior civil servants in the area to deliver the APGA candidate or lose their positions. This explains the violence and desperation that greeted the election, he said.
Duruiheoma also alleged that commissioners were assigned areas to deliver in the election or risk dismissal, although most of them are not from Oguta.
The PDP boss lamented that the development had ridiculed the state in the comity of civilized people, stressing that the governor should represent all the people and not a section.
Duruiheoma explained that the result presented by the PDP contradicted to that of the state government and APGA, based on the valid result of the votes already cast. He disclosed that PDP is aware of plans by the state government to use a customary court Judge to swear in the APGA candidate.
Although INEC agreed that one of the parties is leading with 2011 votes, but it declined to identify the winning party. The Oguta Constituency election has become a major issue in Imo State politics. The ruling party, APGA, and the foremost opposition party, PDP, have been locked in fierce battle over who wins the oil-rich, council area.
To analysts, the election will determine who controls the political machinery in the state, ahead of the 2015 general elections. For the PDP, which occupied the seat before it was nullified by the Court, failure to win the Oguta re-run will further deplete its already battered image.
The reason the election is generating such attention is not far- fetched. The state governor has not hidden his interest in the election. At one of the campaign rallies for the APGA candidate, he told the party supporters that the election was not about the candidate, but a critical support for his administration.
Another controversial dimension to the election is the seeming external interest, which has helped in heating up the polity. During the election, security operatives were mobilised from outside the state, especially from Abuja, to beef up security.
Expectedly, during the election, the various troop who were obviously working at cross purposes, were the first group to clash. But for the timely intervention of senior officers who openly criticised the mobilisation of troop for an ordinary re-run election for one constituency.
INEC despite the earlier assurances of credible polls, seemed inundated by the turn of events and declared it inconclusive, to the chagrin of the people of Oguta Constituency, who have not had a representative since the inception of the current House, more than two years ago.
While waiting for the next round of election, the political parties have gone back to the drawing board to re-strategise on how to outwit each other.
