There was a mild drama Monday at the Collation Centre for Imo West Senatorial District in Orlu, Orlu Council Area of Imo State, when the Collation Officer, Prof. Ibeawuchi Francis from the Federal University of Owerri (FUTO), hid the original result sheet after declaring the Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha as the Senator-elect.
Ibeawuchi
who stopped the declaration of the result halfway on Sunday night after
announcing the result for nine Local Government Areas, out of which
Okorocha won eight LGAs, said that he left the original result sheet at
the INEC office in Owerri and instead wrote the result on a rumpled
sheet of paper.
But the party agents insisted that he produced
the original result sheet, resulting in several hours of argument until
security operatives intervened and pleaded with the party agents to
exercise patience and confirm from the Resident Electoral Commissioner
(REC), Prof. Francis Ezeonu to ascertain the claim of the Collation
Officer.
When called on phone by one of the senior Police
officers, the REC said that the result sheet was in the possession of
the Collation Officer and ordered him to produce it.
Shortly
after the call, the Collation Officer, produced the Original result
sheet and entered the figures before announcing the result a second
time.
Governor Okorocha polled a total number of 97762 votes to
defeat his closest rival, Jones Onyereri of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) who scored 63117 votes.
Addressing journalists
shortly after announcing the results, the Collation Officer, who looked
sober, debunked the news trending on the social media that his daughter
was kidnapped to force him to announce the result.
He said, “I
have announced the result, APC had the highest vote so the Governor, His
Excellency Rochas Okorocha of the APC has been declared winner”. I was
not forced to announce the result and no member of my family was
kidnapped, I am not aware of any such report”.
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