The Imo state Labour Party chairman who doubled as party’s agent during the final collation of Imo governorship election results, Calistus Ihejiagwa, was beaten up and bundled out of the Imo collation centre early Sunday morning, when the results of the election were being announced.
Ihejiagwa had, before the commencement of the results between 2 am and 3am, observed that the election was marred by voter intimidation, vote buying, and violence.
He alleged that collation officers at the local government areas “manufactured” results different from the ones on the Result Viewing Portal (IREV) and brought them to the collation centre.
He consequently demanded that collation should be suspended until the reconciliation of results on the IREV with the one brought by LGA collation officers. He also said he had a petition to submit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the results. But the Returning Officer for the election, Prof Abayomi Fashina, rejected his bid to submit the petition, saying it was not in his purview to receive petitions.
Some minutes later, Ihejiagwa was descended upon and bundled out of the collation centre for allegedly consistently complaining about the results being declared by the local government collation officers.
After this incident, collation of results continued with Governor Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning in all the 27 local government areas and declared winner of the election.
