Federal lawmakers from the opposition, led by Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the spokesperson for the Opposition Coalition and a member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, have vehemently denounced the legitimacy of the Imo governorship election results. Ugochinyere described the outcome as the product of serious electoral misconduct and political betrayal, asserting that those responsible for the irregularities should face arrest and prosecution.
Accusing the actors of criminal actions such as announcing fabricated figures in non-election areas, inflating results without proper voter accreditation, and manipulating numbers, Ugochinyere declared Hope Uzodimma as a self-imposed governor who did not emerge from a valid election. According to the opposition lawmaker, after deducting instances of over-voting and areas where elections were purportedly conducted without proper accreditation, the candidate from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) scored the highest number of valid votes. Consequently, he insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should have declared Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the rightful winner.
During a post-election world press conference in Abuja, Ugochinyere, known for his strong advocacy for good governance and credible elections, joined forces with 30 federal lawmakers to condemn the roles played by INEC, security agencies, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in what they deemed a criminal operation called the Imo election. They criticized the involvement of thugs backed by security agencies, alleging incidents of violence, shootings, and property destruction to coerce the populace into accepting pre-determined figures lacking proper accreditation or a credible electoral process.
Seeking international intervention, the opposition lawmakers urged the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, and other democracy advocates to impose visa bans on key actors and their immediate family members involved in what they labeled as the Imo electoral robbery. They emphasized the gravity of the electoral malpractice, highlighting that it occurred even in areas affected by insurgency activities, leading to the displacement of villagers and producing results that surpassed those of heavily populated areas like Lagos.
The lawmakers insisted that results from various local government areas, including Okigwe, Oru East, Oru West, Onuimo, Orsu, Oguta, Ohaji, Nwangele, Orlu, Ideato South, Ideato North, and Obowo, were farcical, constituting the biggest electoral jokes ever witnessed in Africa. They claimed that a significant portion of the reported results did not undergo proper accreditation, with some areas recording less than 5 percent accreditation but miraculously achieving an 80 percent voter turnout. Asserting that a recalculation based on accreditation figures would reveal PDP as the rightful winner, the lawmakers urged INEC to utilize provisions in the Electoral Act to review false declarations and rectify the situation, thereby sparing the courts and the people of Imo the burden of prolonged litigation.
Expressing concern about ongoing efforts to manipulate the election data, the opposition lawmakers and the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) spokesperson disclosed information about alleged attempts to upload false accreditation numbers on the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to align with the fabricated results.