C’River PDP Alleges Rigging of Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency By-election

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Cross River State has alleged rigging of the February 26 byelection for the Ogoja/Yala Federal House of Representatives seat.

Speaking at a news conference in Calabar on Tuesday, the state Chairman of the party, Venatius Ikem alleged that the election was marred by irregularities and violence. 

He insisted that the PDP candidate, Mike Usibe, won the election and should be declared as such.

Ikem accused security operatives and some Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officials of rigging in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC whose candidate, Jude Ngaji, was declared winner by the returning officer, John Edor.

The PDP chairman said, “We reject in totality the results announced by the Returning officer in the Saturday, 26th February byelection for the Federal House of Representatives seat for Ogoja/Yala in which the APC candidate was wrongfully declared a winner becausehe did not score the majority of valid votes cast in that election.

“The byelection was characterised by massive irregularities including violence orchestrated by the APC-led government and her officials who snatched ballot boxes and other election materials at will at gun point and manipulated the results to their advantage.”

He further alleged and demanded “as a matter of urgency the disbandment of the Special Police units under the Chief Security Officer of the Governor which he is using for thuggery and political purposes, raining mayhem on innocent voters, contrary to all expectations of a neutral state security outfit.”

Other demands, include “that the INEC investigates her staff, especially one Mr. Toyin, an Assistant Director or Deputy Director in the Commission’s office in Calabar in charge of the IT unit with a view to unraveling his interference with the BVAS machines deployed for the election in which he claimed that 5 units were missing before the election which are alleged to have suddenly emerged at election centres.

“We demand that Mr. Festus Okoye (National Commissioner) be equally investigated and never again posted for election duty to Cross River State, because he has shown clearly that he comes here at the behest of Governor Ayade and to do his dirty work of subverting the will of the electorate in the state.

“Most importantly, we demand that INEC should produce all BVAS machines used for the election to ascertain if the accreditation recorded in the machines corresponds with the number of votes declared by the Returning officer in the February 26 by-election.”

According to him, the party has evidence to prove that the election was rigged in favour of APC and expressed optimism that through legal channels the result will be reversed  in favour of PDP.

At the news conference videos of the alleged violence and snatching of ballot boxes by APC officials were shown to journalists.