Military aid PDP rigging in Imo says Rochas Okorocha

The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has frowned on the way the Peoples Democratic Party “rigged” the elections of Saturday and has therefore called for the outright cancellation of the results in six local government areas of the state.

He also said that the election in the state was full of combined conspiracy with military intervention.

The governor, who addressed journalists on Monday at the Government House, Owerri, accused notable chieftains of the PDP in the state of using the military to terrorise voters.

He alleged that such areas as Oru East, Ohaji/Egbema, Ngor Okpala, Aboh Mbaise and parts of Owerri West did not only witnessed unprecedented rigging but also abduction and kidnapping of agents of rival political parties who were manhandled and forced to lie prostrate on the ground by soldiers acting on the orders of the Federal Government.

He said, “Armed soldiers were used by the PDP as aides to the collation officers and there was no collation of results at the ward levels as prescribed by the Electoral Act. All the collating officers and presiding officers were directed to go and submit their results at the LG level, from where they collected all the results from the booths in the presence of soldiers.”

Okorocha also lashed out at security agents who he alleged barred agents of the opposition parties from entering into the INEC office while giving those of the PDP unfettered access to the premises of the electoral commission.

The governor also said that 250 students of the Rochas Foundation College who duly registered for the election and were issued with PVC, were arrested and held hostage at Ogboko on what he called trumped-up charges and were prevented from voting by soldiers working for the PDP.

“Most of these helpless children are orphans and I am their father, they duly registered for the election but soldiers arrested, humiliated and detained them without food and water and they were not released until the following day being Sunday.”

Okorocha insisted that election did not take place in the Isiala Mbano area and parts of Aboh Mbaise. He expressed shock that results were still announced in these areas by INEC.

The governor also denied allegations of tearing result sheets and added that his convoy was shot at by security agents during which one of the boys in his entourage was seriously wounded and immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.