Enugu guber: INEC lacks power to suspend declaration of already collated result, says PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council in Enugu has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce the results of the gubernatorial election in the state.

The electoral body on Monday halted the collation of election results in three LGAs in Enugu and Abia states.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PDP said INEC has no right to suspend the declaration of result that has already been collated.

The party said INEC is mixing things up by comparing the Enugu situation to that of Abia, adding that there is nothing like outstanding LGAs in the state’s collation process.

“Putting the Abia and Enugu situations in one basket clearly shows that the national headquarters of INEC is mixing things up or has not been properly briefed,” the statement reads.

“There is absolutely nothing like outstanding local governments as far as the collation process in Enugu State is concerned.

“Unlike the situation in Abia State, the results of the entire 17 LGAs of Enugu State, including those of Nkanu East and Nsukka LGAs, have been fully collated by the Returning Officer, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, on Sunday the 19th of March. What remains for the INEC is to sum up the returns by the Local Government Returning Officers and declare our candidate, Dr. Mbah the governor-elect.

“That is why we are saying that INEC is overreaching itself; they have no powers at this stage to suspend the pronouncement or declaration of the winner of the election, which is our candidate.

“Section 64(8) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that where collation has been completed as in the present case of Enugu State, the duty of the collation officer, who collated the result is to announce the result and make a declaration.

“Therefore, having collated the results from Nsukka LGA and Nkanu East LGA, the statutory duty and legal responsibility of the state returning officer is simply to announce and declare the results, as INEC cannot, by law, suspend the declaration of result already collated.

“We therefore call on INEC to immediately announce the summation of the 17 local governments it has already collated and declare Dr. Peter Ndubisi Mbah the winner of the March election.”

The party said INEC is overheating the Enugu polity and infuriating the electorate with the delay in pronouncing the winner of the governorship election.