A crisis has erupted at the stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the upcoming governorship election in Imo state. The turmoil began when INEC’s National Commissioner representing the South East, Kenneth Ukeagu, who was standing in for the National Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, ordered journalists to turn off their cameras and electronic devices following the opening of the interactive session.
Members of the opposition political parties, led by the running mates of the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Tony Nwulu, and the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Jones Onyereri, vehemently opposed this directive. They contended that INEC’s Chairman’s call to limit media coverage suggested a conspiracy between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the electoral body to manipulate the election.
Nwulu, in particular, argued that there was no justification for excluding the media from the stakeholders’ meeting. He questioned Ukeagu, asking if the meeting was intended to be a “secret cult” and accused INEC of planning to manipulate the election in favor of the APC.
Onyereri, the running mate of the PDP governorship candidate, supported Nwulu’s position. He presented copies of documents that he alleged were fake results sheets posted on INEC’s portal during the House of Assembly election in the state, further intensifying concerns about transparency and fairness in the upcoming governorship election.
Crisis Rocks INEC's Stakeholders Meeting in Imo
Crisis has rocked the stakeholders meeting organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission for this weekend's scheduled governorship election in Imo state.
The crisis started immediately after INEC's National… pic.twitter.com/SogEdwCNNf
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) November 8, 2023