Imo North Senatorial Poll: Observer Group Urges INEC to Probe Alleged Fake Result
An election observer group, the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to formally request an investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the February 23, 2019 Imo North Senatorial election.
The group urged INEC to write to the Inspector-General of Police seeking an investigation into Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu and the election’s Returning Officer, Professor Donatus Ohajianya, over allegations connected with disputed election results.
CTA also called on the electoral commission to complete the collation of results from the Imo North Senatorial District and officially declare the winner of the election.
Speaking through its Director of Legal and Documentation, Ohazuruike Tochukwu, the organisation argued that allegations involving the production or use of questionable result sheets were serious enough to warrant investigation by law-enforcement authorities.
The group warned that failing to properly investigate such allegations could undermine public confidence in future elections and encourage politicians to produce unofficial result documents in an attempt to influence electoral outcomes.
CTA nevertheless commended INEC for establishing a committee to investigate the controversy and determine whether electoral officials complied with the commission’s established procedures.
According to the organisation, setting up the investigative committee was an appropriate step given the conflicting claims surrounding the election.
The group maintained that INEC should proceed with the outstanding collation process after completing its investigation and make a formal declaration based on the lawful results available to the commission.
CTA also challenged Uwajumogu to publicly provide evidence supporting his claim that he won the election.
It asked him to produce a copy of the result on which his claim was based and, if available, evidence showing the Returning Officer formally declaring him winner.
The organisation further questioned why the official result sheet reportedly contained no entries for Ehime Mbano and Isiala Mbano local government areas, alleging that the Returning Officer had not completed the relevant entries.
CTA also raised concerns about the colour of some result sheets allegedly associated with the disputed outcome.
According to the group, duplicate result sheets used by INEC during the National Assembly elections were blue, while documents it described as questionable in the Imo North controversy were allegedly pink.
The observer group argued that the discrepancy should form part of INEC’s investigation to establish the authenticity of the disputed documents.
CTA therefore urged the electoral commission to ensure that the controversy was thoroughly investigated, the lawful results properly collated and the winner officially declared in accordance with electoral regulations.
