With 994 added votes, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has won the presidential election in Warri-North, Delta State.
This was as Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, got 10,958 votes to emerge victorious at the presidential election in Imo State.
In Warri-North, Atiku had 3,411 votes, while Obi received 2,417 votes. The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate emerged third with 1,379 votes and the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Sen. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso clinched 52 votes.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday evening, began the collation of the presidential election results from the 27 local government areas of the Imo State.
The collation began amidst a peaceful protest by members of the Labour Party and Ohaneze Youth Council, who alleged a compromise in the outcome of the National Assembly elections conducted in Orlu Senatorial zone.
The State Collation Officer, Charles Esimone, flanked by INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Sylvia Agu, had declared the collation of presidential results open at about 6.30p.m.
Mr Esimone, who is the Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, pledged to ensure a transparent exercise.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that before embarking on break as at 10:10p.m., nine Local Government Areas were collated and announced by the various collation officers.
The local government areas included Isiala Mbano, Isu, Nwangele, Ideato South, Ideato North, Nkwerre, Orsu, Owerri North and Ikeduru Local Government Areas.
However, shortly before commencement of the exercise, the National Vice Chairman of Labour Party, South East, Innocent Okeke, submitted a protest letter to INEC.
Mr Okeke told journalists in an interview that the protest letter was against “the anomaly that we witnessed during the election.”
“We received complaints that no elections took place in many places but results were generated and uploaded. We came to protest to let the world know that we as Labour Party want to do away with the old order and enshrine a new order of leadership and rulership in Nigeria,” Mr Okeke said.
Also speaking, the Labour Party (LP) House of Representatives candidate for Orlu, Orsu and Oru East Federal Constituency, Jeff Ojineka, said elections only held in three polling units in Oru East.
“In Oru East, the foundation to what happened was the non-absence of the vehicles that conveyed materials to polling units.
“They delayed till around 12 noon before they started releasing materials to the polling booths, but those materials never appeared at any of the polling units at Oru East only at a later time to hear that results were being uploaded,” he claimed.
He said elections were only conducted in three polling units in Omuma: Polling Units 008, 010 and 012.
Ojineka further claimed that in Orsu Local Government, while voters were waiting at the designated polling units for materials from Local Government headquarters, results were allegedly being uploaded in documents.
The candidate claimed that those who voted were transported from Owerri to the area.
He also alleged that in Orlu, elections were held in only three wards.
“We had gone back today thinking that INEC directed election for Sunday in Orlu, but we were told that no directive about conducting the election.
“People were ready to cast their votes. We later heard that result from there have (sic) been generated which is what they are collating,” he said.
Likewise, the National President of Ohaneze Youth Council, Igboayaka Igboayaka claimed that the “tactical delay in conveying election materials to various polling units was a ploy to sabotage the election.”
Mr Igboayaka, who read his protest letter, alleged that threats of violence were used to stop elections in some parts of Orlu zone.