Callistus Ihejiagwa, the Chairman of the Labour Party in Imo, has alleged that he was assaulted by thugs affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the collation of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.
Ihejiagwa alleged that he was physically attacked, thrown out of the collation centre, and robbed of $1000 and N50,000 while attempting to raise complaints about the conduct of the election.
Expressing his frustration, Ihejiagwa lamented that despite the attack occurring in the presence of security agents, the police refused to intervene and instead arrested and detained him.
He said he was detained without clear charges and was only released after the announcement of the election results.
According to Ihejiagwa, he had petitioned INEC before the final collation, citing concerns over the accreditation of voters under electoral guidelines. However, he claimed his petition was ignored, and the collation proceeded.
He accused the Returning Officer, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, of refusing to entertain the petition, leading to the physical assault.
Ihejiagwa said the election was characterized by “attacks, intimidation and stiff opposition to the will of the masses”, describing the announced result as unacceptable.
“We took our time to document the anomalies and prepare a strongly worded petition that was never heard, and for this reason, we will be seeking judicial redress.
“LP completely dissociated itself from the purported result and will challenge it in court, with all our evidence.
“Our candidate, Sen. Athan Achonu, won this election, and we’ll retrieve the mandate in court “, he said.
