Umuahia – Dr Ihekwaba Chukwugoziem, Returning Officer for Abia North Senatorial District in the March 28 National Assembly elections, has disassociated himself from results emanating from the election.
Chukwugoziem said in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia on Friday, that he could not announce the results because of ”irregularities and massive fraud.”
He claimed that the irregularities and fraud were perpetrated in all the five local government areas of the constituency comprised of Ohafia, Arochukwu, Bende, Isuikwuato and Umunneochi.
The returning officer said that it was discovered from the field that fake documents were used to record the results and later transferred into the original result sheets.
He also said that hoodlums later besieged the collation centre in Ohafia local government headquarters and threatened to kill him, if the verdict was not in their favour.
Chukwugoziem claimed that the attack by the hoodlums and sporadic shootings made him to become apprehensive as to which result to announce.
‘’My concern was how we will escape from the place alive,’’ he said, adding that they were later rescued by security operatives.
According to him, he had made recommendations in a report to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Selina Oko for the conduct of a re-run in the area.
Chukwugoziem said that Oko had constituted a committee to review the results.
He also told reporters that he refused to sign the result document because ‘’those who were the collating officers at a point were not sure of what they were doing.”
‘“As the returning officer, it is my duty to announce the results but I have not done so,’’ he said.
The returning officer called for a re-run to be “strictly supervised by security operatives from the polling units to the collation centres.”
He said that he had been receiving threat calls and messages in his cell phone since the end of the elections. (NAN)
USO/AK/MZA
Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
