#AbiaDecides2023: PDP seeks to use result from one LGA to upturn 90,000 votes margin — LP

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, Alex Otti, has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state is seeking to use results from the Obingwa Local government Area to upturn over 90,000 votes margin between the two parties.

Mr Otti, during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, said he has garnered over 171,000 votes from 16 local governments so far declared by INEC, with Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trailing with about 80,000.

He claimed that INEC’s presiding officer in Obingwa local government was forced to sign the doctored result under duress. He, therefore, urged INEC not to accept any result that is not consistent with the data on the BVAS.

“The votes the Labour party has gotten out of the 16 local governments are over 171,000 and that of PDP is less than 80,000. So anyhow you flip and dice it.

“Even the number they have written does not have the support of the law, and cannot torpedo our victory. It is also important to say that, we believe that INEC will do the right thing,” he said.

Mr Otti said the introduction of the BVAS machine has demystified the voting strength of Obingwa Local government and several others in the state.

“What has happened this time around, is that the BVAS has demystified Obingwa Local government in Abia state.

“You will recall that in 2015 when I contested for the first time, it produced 82,000 votes from Obingwa to upturn the victory that Abia people gave us.

“This time around, they want to do the same thing but the BVAS has proved that there are no more than 30,000 votes. That was what we also proved in 2015 that led to our victory at the Court of Appeal,” the LP candidate said.

Mr Otti also disclosed that there is an ongoing deliberation at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja between the INEC’s top hierarchy and staff that supervised the election in Abia State.

He expressed optimism that INEC will declare him the winner of the election.

“All the other local governments that have been declared used the BVAS machine for accreditation, it is our firm belief that INEC will not change the rules in the middle of the race.

“I will like to use this opportunity to call on Abia people to remain peaceful and calm,” he said.

INEC had confirmed that thugs invaded the commission’s Obingwa Local Government Area office in Abia State during the collation of results for Saturday’s elections