APGA, PDP Supporters Clash In Abia Over Results, APGA Rejects Results

Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance on Sunday protested the outcome of the elections for Abia Central Senatorial District.

The protesters, who occupied different sections of the sidewalks in front of Umuahia North Local Government secretariat – the collation centre for Abia Central senatorial district – chanted solidarity songs in support of their various candidates. There was no physical confrontation from both camps, except for the fact that they hurled abuses at each other.

Official results had not yet been released as of press time, but speculations are rife that the PDP senatorial candidate and current governor of Abia State, T. A. Orji, is having a rough ride. Some party agents who spoke to our correspondent said he lost in his polling unit. There was however, no figure to back the claims.

Suspicion that all was not well first emerged early on Sunday morning when an APC party agent, Godwin Uwanuakwa, raised an alarm that the figures on the result sheet from Isingwu ward in Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state was different from the figures he had on the result duplicate in his possession, hence, he declined signing the result sheet.

Uwanuakwa, who also alleged that the figures were altered in favour of the PDP said, “We followed the results from the polling unit to the ward up to this point. When we got here last night, we were not allowed in, only PDP agents were allowed entry. That is why we were not able to observe the collation exercise here last night.”

INEC collation officers admitted the discrepancy and obvious alteration on the result sheet which was not duly signed. They blamed the youth corps member that presided over the exercise for the error. The APC and APGA agents, who protested the discrepancy, were asked to write to the commission for redress.

Result sheets from other wards were also contested, raising the fears that the ruling party might be up to something. Meanwhile, a local government transition chairman was seen patrolling the premises. An INEC official, while responding to an inquiry from a party agent as to what the chairman was doing inside the collation hall said, “Don’t you know he is a government official?”

The avalanche of complaints bordering on discrepancies from various result sheets forced the INEC officials to order all party agents out of the collation hall, including journalists. Tear gas was used on those who resisted the order. Policemen were also instructed to barricade the council gate allowing entry to only selected persons.

In the course of the protests, some party agents mainly from APGA, LP and APC resolved not to sign the result sheet. An INEC staff, whom they had related the decision to was heard telling them that their signatures are not required to authenticate the results.

Source: PunchNg

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