SHOCKING: INEC Issues Certificate Of Return To Wrong Candidate In Abia State

The winner of Umuahia South State Constituency in the Abia House of Assembly, Eastern Nigeria, Chijioke Nwachukwu, a candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), has called on the Independent National Electoral Commissioner, INEC, in the state to issue him his certificate of return without delay as it has issued his other 22 colleagues who also won the election.

Speaking to P.M.NEWS correspondent, shortly after the issuance ceremony, on Thursday evening in Umuahia, Nwachukwu wondered why INEC will make such a mistake of issuing his certificate of return to a wrong candidate, Mr. Jerry Uzosike, Peoples Democratic Party candidate who lost to him at the polls.

Nwachukwu, noted that when the news got to him, he did not believe it, thinking that it was a joke but it regrettably turned to be an embarrassment and a shock to him.

Irked by this development, he further explained that he confronted the State Residential Electoral Commissioner but she showed him a list of those who won the election which she sent to their Abuja office.

The worried member-elect pointed out that the REC says she has communicated to the Abuja office on the mistake and assured him that the error will be corrected.

He noted that when he requested a letter to the effect that his certificate was issued to another candidate in error, she declined, advising him to write to the commission through his lawyer.

To this end, the winner of the said election told our correspondent that he has written a complaint to that effect through his lawyer while copying the commissioner of Police, Umuahia, the Director of SSS, INEC Chairman, Abuja, his party Chairmen both at Umuahia and Abuja respectively.

Nwachukwu expressed optimism that INEC will reverse itself by issuing him his certificate of return.

He also advised his supporters to be calm.

Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the State, Professor Selina Oko has admitted that it was an error which she promised will be corrected by INEC in Abuja.

Addressing the members-elect in Umuahia, she said that this is the last official outing by INEC as regards the 2015 general elections.

She said it was unfortunate that the certificate of member-elect from Umuahia South was mistakenly issued to a wrong person.

The REC who lamented the error stating that how the mistake occurred beats her imagination because the wrong candidate whose name appears on the certificate was not the rightful candidate who won the election but however assured that the error will be corrected as she has communicated INEC (Abuja) over the development.

On the winner of Isiala Ngwa South State Constituency, the REC explained that INEC office at the LGA was gutted by fire and the result sheet to enter the winner’s result was affected by the inferno and also promised to issue him when she would have collected another form from Abuja office.

Meanwhile, 22 members-elect out of 24 members of Abia House of Assembly were issued with their certificates of return by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Selina Oko with PDP securing 12 seats while APGA had 10 seats from the house.

Source: PM News