Enugu Guber: Anxiety as INEC remains silent, PDP, LP protests continue 

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has remained mute on the way forward sequel to the suspension of collation of Enugu Guber election results.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, wants INEC to declare the result which they claim to have won but Labour Party is challenging results from Nkanu East alleging over voting and non use of BVAS.

The PDP on their own alleged rigging and violence in Nsukka.

Abuja had, two days ago ordered that collation be put on hold while the Commission looks in to the various complaints.

The silence by INEC has not helped matters as tension continue to build in the state.

Protests over the alleged manipulation of the election in Enugu State entered the second day on Tuesday as hundreds of protesting supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) occupied the roads leading to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu.

While the PDP supporters mounted several canopies with food and drinks at the WAEC Junction just before the state headquarters of INEC, their Obidient/LP counterparts did same at Agric Bank, just before The Good Shepherd Anglican Cathedral.

Supporters of PDP governorship candidate, Peter Mbah, who were led by a former member of house of representatives, USA Igwesi, told newsmen that continue occupying the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state until Mbah is declared winner of the election in the state.

They also accused the INEC of adopting different rule from the one it used during the national collation of presidential election results, where it ignored complaints from the agents of opposition parties.

Igwesi also accused INEC of usurping the duties of the Election Petition Tribunals and warned that Enugu State was running out of patience as a result of the continuous withholding of the governorship election results.

He said, “We don’t need any soothsayer to tell us that Peter Mbah won the election. We’re surprised that INEC is still holding this result undeclared.

“We want to inform them that Enugu State is running out of patience. We are running out of patience. We are asking them in the interest of peace of Enugu State to declare the result and announce Mbah of PDP winner.

“As long as they keep holding the results, we keep occupying Enugu”.

Also, the protesting “Obidient Movement,” and supporters of LP governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, like their PDP counterparts, mounted canopies, where.they cook food and drinks.

They were insisting that Edeoga must be declared winner of the election before they would disperse.

Enugu State chairman of LP, Barr. Casmir Agbo said that they were there because they did not want PDP to manipulate the outcome of the election.

“We have been here since yesterday when we learned that PDP leaders are trying to manipulate the governorship election results which LP clearly won. We won convincingly in all the 17 local government areas. We won by more than 11,000 votes. We have seen the results. The only problem is the Nkanu East,, where they padded the results and wanted INEC to accept it. But we won’t allow that to happen”, Agbo said.

Agbo also said that Labour Party won in Nsukka but that PDP raised the issue of Nsukka because LP kicked about the over votes in Nkanu East.

“They have forgotten that during the Presidential election Nsukka gave Obi more than 60,000 votes. They raised the Nsukka issue because we raised the issue of Nkanu East,” the party chairman points out.