Nigeria Content Online

The results of the
election in Anambra central senatorial district have been put on hold
by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pending a rerun
election in three wards in Njikoka local government.

The decision came
in the wake of strong protests by agents of the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN) against the cancellation of results in the three wards,
which they claimed would have catapulted their candidate, Chris Ngige
to victory.

NEXT gathered that
the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Dora Akunyili was
slightly ahead of her closest rival, Mr Ngige, from the results already
announced by the electoral body. But when the results from Njikoka were
received, the ACN agents claimed they received a text message from
their agents in the cancelled wards which they said showed that ACN led
in two of the areas, a development they pointed out would have ensured
victory for their party in the overall result.

Led by their state
agent, Kingsley Ezenwenyi, the ACN agents insisted the results should
not be announced and threatened to deal with the returning officer if
he went ahead to announce the results. They shouted and hurled
invective at both the Election and and Returning officers – and even
chased the Returning Officer into the first floor office of the
commission.

Finally both officials walked out, leaving some other officers of the commission to explain the situation to the protesters.

A spokesperson for
the commission, Mr Nwunelli, said the cancellation was because of the
non-availability of result sheets which were snatched. He said there
was a new INEC guideline which stipulated that when the total number of
registered voters is added up and found to be capable of upturning the
result, such would be declared inconclusive.

He said the number
of voters in the affected wards was found to be capable of upturning
the result and hence no return would be made. He said the result had
therefore been put on hold pending a rerun in the Nimo and Enugwu-ukwu.

A briefing by the
resident electoral commissioner with the press could not however hold
as soldiers flooded the entrance to the commission’s headquarters and
refused the journalists entry.

In Nimo, people
dressed in Army uniform had stormed wards one and two and commandeered
the INEC staff to part with the result sheets. The operation was
believed to have been orchestrated by a politician of the town
belonging to the Accord Party, whose party was hopelessly outclassed in
the wards by ACN and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

In the declared result, Andy Uba of the PDP won in Anambra south.