The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the Ebonyi South senatorial district rerun election, Ifeanyi Eleje, has described the election as “hugely flawed.”
Eleje, who made the allegation on Saturday at Afikpo while speaking to newsmen, further described the process as “marred by intimidation.”
He said: “This is the first election I witnessed, [whereby] the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was telling voters to vote and go. Does it mean that the accreditation details would be used for thumbprints?
“I have reported to the INEC leadership in the state, and it has not responded as promised.”
According to him: “This is an off-season election, so we expected more effectiveness in its conduct. What we, however, saw was the use of authority to intimidate voters.
“This election, just as all off-season elections, experienced low voter turnout, and we expect such to reflect in the results.”
The Head of Voter Education and Publicity Department of INEC in the state, Christian Elekwa, however, refuted Eleje’s allegation, noting that the commission should not be associated with such.
Elekwa said that the approved practice was for voters to be accredited and allowed to vote immediately.
“It is a simultaneous process, and I don’t know where this sort of insinuation is coming from,” he said.
Ebonyi South senatorial by-election hugely flawed – APGA candidate
