The Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the just concluded Imo state Governorship election Athan Achonu has accused security operatives of colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress to manipulate the result in the state.
Achonu placed third with 64,081 votes as compared to Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party with 71,503 and the eventual winner, the controversial incumbent governor, Hope Uzodimma who won by a questionable large vote tally of 540,308.
Addressing newsmen in his country home in Ehime Mbano local government area of Imo state, the 64-year-old alleged his party supporters and voters were intimidated and harassed during the election as the outcome of the election doesn’t reflect what truly transpired at the polling units.
It is a very sad day for democracy, for good governance for freedom of choice and equal opportunity,” he said.
“Yesterday security agencies of this country raped our democracy. It was a big shock, I am just recovering from it this morning.
“The DSS, Police and the military raped our democracy it was like a coup by the security agencies, it wasn’t INEC.”
“INEC was scared, they brought people from different states of the country and when they came they were willing to work. But when you see the security agents that are supposed to protect you where they behead people like chickens and are doing the bidding of the government, what do you do?
He argued that the Returning officer should have stopped collation following a petition by his party agent that the results at the polling units uploaded to the IREV didn’t correspond with what the collation officers presented at the state collation centre. He promises to challenge the outcome of the election in court.
IMAGE: Punch
