‘Election was credible’ — CSO asks INEC to disregard calls for review of Enugu guber results

The Enugu good governance group (E-3G), a pro-democracy and good governance advocacy organisation, says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should disregard calls for a review of the outcome of the state’s governorship election.

INEC declared Peter Mbah, candidate of the PDP, as the winner of the election.

Mbah polled 160,895 votes to defeat Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP), who scored 157,552 votes, and Frank Nweke II of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who garnered 17,983 votes.

But the LP coalition for true democracy reportedly demanded that INEC withholds the certificate of return and review the election result due to “some irregularities”.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Odinaka Okechukwu, national coordinator of the group, said “having dutifully collated the results of the 17 LGAs and declared the winner”, INEC had exhausted its constitutional powers.

Okechukwu said the commission should go ahead to present the certificate of return to Mbah.

“The Enugu good governance group is aware that the Enugu state chapter of the Labour Party and its governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, have petitioned the INEC calling on the election management body to: declare the March 18 governorship election as inconclusive; cancel votes in Nkanu east local government area; and withhold the issuance of the certificate of return to any candidate until issues enumerated in their petition are resolved,” he said.

“However, we recall that the collation of the results of the 17 local government areas of Enugu State was completed as of 19th March. By the provisions of the electoral act 2022, the only other duty left for the state returning officer was to add up the figures, announce them, and declare the winner in line with Section 64 (8) of the electoral act 2022.

“But upon the insistence of the Labour Party, INEC bent backwards to review the results before eventually declaring Peter Mbah of the PDP the winner on 22nd March.

“Therefore, we see the latest calls by the Labour Party not only an attempt to convert the INEC to an election petition tribunal but also a call for anarchy; and we condemn it in totality.

“All political actors, including the Enugu Labour Party and its governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, must understand that election is a process guided by timelines and various constitutional “powers vested in several institutions to ensure the sustenance of our democracy. Mounting pressure on one institution to overreach itself will never go well for the nation’s democracy.”

Okechukwu added that, despite reported issues, the Enugu governorship election “was comparatively and substantially free, fair, and credible”.

“We, therefore, call on the INEC to disregard the call for a further review of the declared result and go ahead to hand over the Certificate of Return to the declared winner. Doing otherwise will be going beyond INEC’s mandate and an invitation to possible anarchy,” he said.

“We also urge the Enugu Labour Party and any other party dissatisfied with the outcome of the election to make use of the provisions of section 130 of the electoral act 2022 by approaching the election petition tribunal with their complaints.”