Dr. Olusegun Mimiko

 Punch: INEC to conduct fresh governorship poll in Imo – By-elections in Edo, Ondo, Enugu, Delta. By Musikilu Mojeed.
Published: Friday, 20 Apr 2007

The Independent National Electoral Commission is to conduct a fresh governorship election in Imo State.

It will also conduct by-elections in some local governments areas in Edo, Ondo, Enugu and Delta states.

INEC National Commissioner in charge of Publicity, Mr. Phillip Umeadi (Jnr.), told newsmen in Abuja on Thursday that elections in those areas were cancelled following reports of irregularities.

Apart from Imo where a fresh governorship election would be conducted, the repeat elections in the other states would only affect the Houses of Assembly election.

Umeadi, however, did not disclose the local government areas in the affected states where elections were cancelled.

He said the elections in four local government areas in Enugu State would be repeated on April 26 and a winner would be declared in the governorship election.

Asked why the commission had declared some candidates as winners of the governorship poll in the other affected states when election in some parts of those states had been cancelled, Umeadi said the outcome of the planned by-election would not substantially affect the overall results of the April 14 elections in those states.

In Imo where a fresh governorship election has been fixed for April 28, the result of the House of Assembly election in the state was upheld, Umeadi said.

The PDP won 26 seats while the PPA won one.

Umeadi said that Saturday‘s elections went on well without flaws in 30 of the 36 states.

Meanwhile, four governorship candidates in Enugu State have called on the INEC to conduct fresh governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.

Briefing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the candidates- Mr. Dubem Onyia (Action Congress), Mr. Okey Ezea (Labour Party), Mr. Ugochukwu Agballah (Accord Party) and Dr. Fidel Ayogu (All Nigeria Peoples Party) – said election did not hold at all in the state.

They contended that due to logistics problems, INEC could not deliver election materials to polling stations.

They said when the materials left the Enugu branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria at noon on that day; they were diverted to residences of state government officials where ballot papers were allegedly thumb-printed.