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All the major
opposition parties in Ebonyi State have called for the cancellation of
the result of the last national assembly election in the state,
following what they described as massive irregularities in the exercise.

The parties,
including the Accord Party (AP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All
Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
and the People’s Democratic Convention (PDC) warned that subsequent
elections in the state will be accompanied by bloodshed if the last one
was not cancelled.

The leaders of the
party, who addressed a world press conference held at Abakaliki, the
Ebonyi state capital, accused officials of employing state machinery to
work against the opposition.

“It is sad and
regrettable that while the elections in other states of the federation
are being commended, it was a brazen show of shame in Ebonyi to return
the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to power by all means by the
combined forces of PDP government officials, the Army and INEC ad-hoc
electoral officials. The conduct of the election was against all known
laws and regulations guiding election process in the country,” they
said.

The parties stated
that contrary to the much-advertised rules of INEC that the appointment
of electoral officials, notably the collation officers and returning
officers, shall be from state institutions and agencies, all the
collation and returning officers in the election were appointed from
staff of the Ebonyi State-owned university.

The parties said
the returning officers, despite protests from other political parties,
accepted falsified figures that were not signed by presiding officers.
“These results were all recorded in favour of the PDP. This happened in
most wards in Ikwo and Izzi local Government Areas,” they said.

How it was done

The opposition
parties further alleged that the election was characterised by brazen
diversion of electoral materials to private homes by thugs, in
collaboration with soldiers and policemen.