ANAMBRA: "INEC Made Technical Mistake, Fresh Election Needed" – PDP Aspirant Explains
A constitutional lawyer, Mike Okoye, has petitioned the leadership of the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Attahiru Jega, in protest of the declaration of last Saturday’s Anambra gubernatorial elections as inconclusive.
He claims that only fresh elections will resolve the ongoing controversy.
One of the PDP governorship aspirants in the contest Mike Okoye said the INEC had committed a technical mistake, having proceeded to officially declare the collated results of the local government and constituency without seeking a proper legal advice.
The lawyer said “INEC, having been satisfied that the final result of the election will be substantially affected by voting in the areas where the election were cancelled, thus, refused to make a return of the
election and declared the election as inconclusive.”
Okoye stated,
“The Commission in my view ought not to have declared as ‘final’ the collated results of the local governments and constituency before it ordered another election in the affected polling units.
“Since the commission, wrongly in my view, proceeded to officially declare the collated results of all the affected local governments and constituency, it is without power to alter the final figures of the results declared for any reason whatsoever; only a court of law can alter or amend the figures of the final result officially declared by the Commission."
In Okoye's point of view, the commission can no longer for any reason whatsoever, alter the figures of the result officially declared, to add or remove, or amend, from the declared results without an order of court.
Thus, since the INEC has no power to alter or add to the results, any further election will be useless and waste of time and money.
As it may be derived from this statement, only fresh elections comprise a solution.
