The latest was the discovery, yesterday, inside a bush, of an Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ballot box. The box was said to have been stuffed with electoral materials and dumped inside the bush at Avor Umuerim Ntigha polling unit, at the back of a primary school.
The ballot box was marked AB/06/07/014 with serial number as E98206329 was lying on top of weeds where it was allegedly dumped by unknown persons. The All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA governorship candidate in the state in the April 2011 elections, Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba, whom the strange discovery was made at his domain said his people called at his house to inform him about the discovery.
Ufomba who spoke to journalists at his country home, Umuogelle Ntigha, said the discovery of the box was evidence that there was no election in the area.
According to him, “the governorship election of April 26 had come and gone with the results released, but yesterday some people came to my house to tell me about the discovery of a ballot box in a bush near a polling booth at Avor Umuerim Ntigha in Isiala Ngwa North council area.”
He said he had approached the state governorship election tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election, insisting that there was no election in Abia as it was marred by interference by the soldiers , intimidation, brutalization and the snatching of ballot boxes and stuffing of same with the aide of the military .
He decried the alleged fraudulent behaviour of the soldiers, who were brought into the state to maintain law and order, “but were busy snatching ballot boxes, and stuffing them with fraudulent materials and writing results to suit their evil exercise.
He said also that he had called the INEC office in Umuahia to come and carry ‘their’ property, since the discovery of the shameful cargo , but they had refused to come, saying, none of their ballot boxes was missing.
He noted that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega should know about the discovered ballot box and asked Abia INEC if there existed any other body that produced and distributed ballots boxes in the country besides them.
“They are saying that their ballot box is not missing, and this shows that there was no election in Abia state”, Ufomba said .
He described the people of Ntigha as the heroes of the last election and thanked them for resisting the alleged attempt a council chairman who came to some of the polling units with soldiers to snatch ballot boxes.
He told newsmen that he had called the Divisional Police Officer in Isiala Ngwa North to intimate him of the ballot box discovery, which was under guard by some natives from the area, adding that the DPO had not come as at when he was addressing members of the press.
He regreted the manners in which the election was rigged, “when the people of the state wanted a change , but the fear of fierce looking soldiers who helped the government in power to rig the election scared them”.
“What happened in the state was not what the people wanted, but in the event of an election rerun in the state, the people will be expected to come out in their numbers to vote for the government of the people and vote out fraudulent politicians. We are all aware that the results of this elections were declared in favour of PDP, based on our observed lapses and irregularities, we have petitioned INEC and we have instructed our lawyers to proceed to tribunal. We have invited you press men to come and see some of these evidences which confirmed that there was no election in Abia state. There was a lot of intimidation , harassment and stuffing of ballot boxes as well as snatching of same.
This is a second discovery, the other day we saw one and it was duly
reported at Ubakala divisional police headquarters and the DPO came to witness
that discovery and today we have just discovered another one at Umuerim , campus
one, in Amasaa Ntigha ward . We have invited Law enforcement agencies to sight
and we will invite INEC to come and carry their materials. These are the boxes
that had been counted and a winner had emerged out of these irregularities and
fraud. I want to thank t6he people of Abia state , particularly those in Ntigha,
Aba Isialangwa North , South , and even Ugwunagbo, who resisted the soldiers. In
a particular unit, Umunka ward they resisted the LGA Chairman with his armoured
tanks, with retinue of soldiers who came to hijack the ballot boxes. In other
places they were successful and these are some of the things professor Jega need
to know about the conduct of election in Abia state. The election in Abia state
was neither free , nor fair nor credible,” Ufomba said.
| Posted: at | |
jar84
richi192
Solidstonez
dlimelite
chicco77
steve232
TRENDING GISTS 
BREAKING: Tragedy As 4 Year Old Boy Dies In Abuja School Amid Suspicion Of Foul Play
Veteran Journalist, Ray Ekpu Loses Wife To Cold Hands Of Death
VIDEO: Davido Lists Artistes He Loves To Collaborate With