(UPDATED) Imo guber: Labour Party cries foul over INEC refusal to allow access to electoral materials for inspection
...As PDP queries process
Again for the second day, the Labour Party has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of refusing the party access to the electoral materials used for the November 11 gubernatorial election in Imo State as ordered by the Elections Petitions Tribunal.
The Party officials claimed to have been at the INEC office in Owerri since 8am with their legal team and inspectors to inspect the BVAS and other materials used in the governorship election.
According to the LP chairman, Barr. Callistus Ihejiagwa, INEC had refused to grant them access.
He said the INEC HOD Legal, told them that the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, had not given him the order to do so.
Ihejiagwa added: “In other words, he needs the order of the REC to comply with the valid and subsisting Order of the Tribunal.
“We are still here and will remain here till the close of work.
“Let it be known to the entire world that INEC REC Imo State and the HOD Legal are conniving with APC and Hope Uzodinma to frustrate us from inspecting the BVAs and other materials in direct disobedience of Tribunal Order.
“They know that the records in those BVAs will completely expose the unprecedented irregularities that they perpetrated on November 11,” he said.
Both the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had yesterday protested the shoddy arrangements the INEC made towards inspecting the electoral materials.
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They accused the INEC of not spelling out the procedures for the inspection as well as failing to list the items to be inspected, including the BVAs.
Moreso, INEC had been accused of barring journalists from accessing the inspection room while allowing APC members to mill around the hall. All these made the Labour Party to say it would not take part in the process unless their grievances were addressed.
“The Labour Party is committed to a transparent process and we urge INEC to do the right thing by establishing protocols and listing the documents and materials to be inspected, including the BVAS.
“We also demand that the media should be allowed to be part of the process as a part of their contribution to democratic efforts and good governance.
“We reiterate our stand that that INEC has compromised the entire process, and their deliberate refusal to grant us access to inspect the BVAS as ordered by the Tribunal confirms our stand,” the Imo LP chairman insisted.
Meanwhile, Gozie Nwachukwu,
the legal representative of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, questioned the credibility of the INEC inspection process.
He wondered why the INEC office, the venue for the court-ordered inspection should be so rowdy with alleged APC lackeys, loitering around, chanting songs and making noises.
Nwachukwu described the environment as “unconducive for the process under which any meaningful work can be done.”
He took a swipe at INEC, saying “right from the beginning of this process everything they (INEC) have done is contrary to the Electoral Act.”
However, it now seems that instead of addressing the issues, “the INEC is deliberately frustrating the petitioners. If they are not hiding anything, what is preventing them from allowing us access to the documents.
“It’s a pity our Judiciary has become so weakened it cannot see to it that its orders are enforced. We hope it will rise to the occasion this time,” one of the party chieftains said.
