Imo State Labour Party Chairperson, Callistus Ihejiagwa, Describes Election as Characterised by Attacks and Intimidation

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Chairperson of the Labour Party (LP) in Imo State, Callistus Ihejiagwa, has expressed his disappointment with the conduct of Saturday’s election in the state. In a press briefing held on Tuesday in Owerri, Mr Ihejiagwa described the election as marred by “attacks, intimidation and stiff opposition to the will of the masses”.

During the briefing, Mr Ihejiagwa recounted his personal experience of being attacked and humiliated by political thugs inside the INEC Collation Centre. He revealed that his five-year-old son is still traumatized from the memories of witnessing his father’s physical assault. The LP chairperson, who is a legal practitioner, broke down in tears midway through the briefing, expressing the pain his family has endured.

Mr Ihejiagwa condemned the result of the election announced by INEC, stating that it is unacceptable. He referred to paragraph 48 (A) (B) of the Electoral Guideline, which he claims was violated during the collation process. He alleged that his petition to INEC regarding the manner of voter accreditation was ignored, and when he insisted on halting the collation process, he was accused of disrupting the process. He further claimed that security agencies present at the collation center did not intervene when he was attacked.

He stated, “Paragraph 48, sub-paragraphs A and B, of the Electoral Guideline says that collation shall not be done until the Returning Officer confirms that accreditation has been done in line with the provisions of the law. This section of the law was contravened and we were denied the inalienable right to a fair hearing.”

Mr Ihejiagwa revealed that he was physically assaulted by thugs and thrown out of the hall, losing N50,000 in the process. He accused the police officers present, one of whom he identified as SP Amaechi Kennedy, of failing to arrest the assailants and instead detaining him in a cell without informing him of any crime he had committed.

The LP chairperson emphasized that the party has evidence of the assault, which occurred on live TV coverage, and will take appropriate measures to seek justice. He stated, “We carefully documented the anomalies and prepared a strongly-worded petition that was never heard, and for this reason, we will be approaching the court.”

Additionally, Mr Ihejiagwa raised concerns about the results of the election, highlighting instances where votes were allegedly cast for places where elections did not even take place. He called for a thorough review of the election results, stating that the record of accreditation does not match the presented results.

In conclusion, Mr Ihejiagwa expressed his disappointment with the conduct of the election and urged for a fair review of the results to ensure justice and accountability. The LP plans to take legal action to address the issues raised and seek redress for the alleged assault and violations of electoral guidelines..