INEC officials arrested in Owerri for electoral offences

Head of Operations in the Imo State office of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and about 15 others, have been arrested by eagle-eyed operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, for allegedly tampering with result sheets and thumb-printing ballot papers.

Addressing a press conference, Wednesday, in Owerri, the state chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie, urged the leadership of INEC to not only make the names of the suspects public, but also prosecute them to serve as a deterrent to others.

“A little while ago, I received information from a member-elect of our great party that results of the just concluded National Assembly elections were being altered at INEC Headquarters, Owerri.

‘’Since the information appeared to be credible, the Secretary, Organising Secretary and myself went to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr. Gabriel Adah, to ascertain the veracity of the information given to us,” Anyaehie said.

According to the Imo PDP boss, the REC truly confirmed to their utter disbelief that some members of staff were truly involved in falsifying results.

He quoted the INEC officials as saying serious action was being taken in-house against the staff involved.

“We wish to use this medium to unequivocally call for immediate prosecution of those involved in this criminal act so that others, who may wish to be part of this heinous crime against our nation and state will be deterred,” Anyaehie pleaded.

While insisting that justice should be done in this matter, Imo PDP also said that it had formally written to the REC, asking that the suspects be prosecuted.

“We also asked that the names of the members of staff be made public as a deterrent for those who may wish to go into this crime.

‘’Already, they have tampered with the results of Senator Hope Uzodinma of Imo West senatorial zone, Rt. Hon. Goodluck Opia of Ohaji Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Federal Constituency and Engr. Obinna Onwuvuariri of Okigwe North Federal Constituency,” Chief Anyaehie lamented.

He expressed regrets at the astonishing dimension that the general elections in Imo State had taken, stressing that a lot of money was paid to the suspects to engage in the damnable electoral malfeasance.

“We have been unrelenting in issuing press releases and reports about the absurdities and irregularities that characterised April 11 and March 28, 2015, elections in Imo State. This latest development is the combination of the whole rape on the electoral process in the state,” Anyaehie lamented.

Meanwhile, Imo State Government has reacted to the reported arrest of the INEC official and his accomplices, saying APC had been vindicated on its repeated claims that the INEC in Owerri had become too partisan in favour of the PDP and its governorship candidate, Emeka Ihedioha, to the disappointment of men and women of goodwill in the state.

Government’s position was made known in a press statement signed by the Governor’s media aide, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo.

“The attention of the Imo State government has been drawn to the arrest, on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, of the Head of Operations, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Owerri, Imo State, Mr. Emeka Mbaneme, and 15 other officers of the Commission by officials of the Department of State Service, DSS, Imo State, while thumb-printing ballot papers and altering the result sheets of the governorship election held on Saturday, April 11, 2015, which the INEC in Owerri declared inconclusive and for which supplementary election has been fixed for the affected units on Saturday, April 25, 2015,” Onwuemeodo stated.