In a disturbing turn of events during the off-season elections in Imo State, Calistus Ihejiagwa, a Labour Party (LP) agent, found himself at the center of chaos as he was physically assaulted and forcefully removed from the Imo State Collation Centre in Owerri. The incident unfolded on a tense Sunday morning, casting a shadow over the electoral process.
Sources revealed that Ihejiagwa raised objections to the results being collated from
various local government areas, contending that they differed significantly from the data available on the Result Viewing Portal (IREV). His persistent claims hinted at potential discrepancies in the reported figures, escalating the already charged atmosphere.
Despite Ihejiagwa's insistence that he had a petition to submit before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), his pleas were met with resistance from Prof Abayomi Fashina, the Returning Officer for the election. Fashina asserted that receiving petitions was beyond his mandate, shutting down the LP agent's attempts to address the alleged irregularities.
The situation took a violent turn when, at 5 am, several unidentified individuals, believed to be associated with other political parties, forcibly ejected Ihejiagwa from the collation center. This abrupt expulsion occurred while the crucial process of collating results was ongoing, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral proceedings.
Sources revealed that Ihejiagwa raised objections to the results being collated from
various local government areas, contending that they differed significantly from the data available on the Result Viewing Portal (IREV). His persistent claims hinted at potential discrepancies in the reported figures, escalating the already charged atmosphere.Despite Ihejiagwa's insistence that he had a petition to submit before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), his pleas were met with resistance from Prof Abayomi Fashina, the Returning Officer for the election. Fashina asserted that receiving petitions was beyond his mandate, shutting down the LP agent's attempts to address the alleged irregularities.
The situation took a violent turn when, at 5 am, several unidentified individuals, believed to be associated with other political parties, forcibly ejected Ihejiagwa from the collation center. This abrupt expulsion occurred while the crucial process of collating results was ongoing, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral proceedings.
