The candidate of the All Progressives Congress – APC in Ebonyi South Senatorial bye-election held on Saturday, February 3, Prof. Anthony Ani, has been announced winner of the poll.
Ani won with 46,270 votes, defeating his closest rival, Ifeanyi Eleje of APGA who garnered 3,513. Silas Onu of the PDP polled 2,783 votes and Linus Okorie of the LP scored 2,710 votes in the election.
Returning Officer for the Ebonyi South Senatorial election, Eze Uchechukwu disclosed this on Sunday, February 4, in the Afikpo local government area of the state. According to Eze, Prof. Ani, having certified the law, was declared the winner and returned elected. The returning officer earlier announced a total of 56,363 votes were cast, while rejected votes were 695.
Meanwhile, the PDP candidate, Silas Onu has described the election as shameful. In a statement he issued on Sunday, Onu lamented that INEC in Ebonyi state connived with the ruling APC to thwart his candidacy for the said election.
He said: “In the build-up to the election, we also saw how institutions can become an obstacle to achieving the mandate given to them by law. “We say this as a result of the shameful conduct of INEC, especially the Ebonyi State office that has become an extension of the APC in the State.
“When we held our congresses, we notified INEC as required by law and they deliberately and wilfully decided not to monitor our congresses for the election of delegates, citing factions within the PDP – one that only existed in the mind of the Resident Electoral Commissioner.
“We held our congresses and soon thereafter, the REC, working with some unknown elements who claimed to be “intending delegates”, instituted an action before the Federal High Court seeking the cancellation of our duly conducted Primary Election.
“This was certainly funded by the APC and with the complete collaboration of the Federal High Court Judge. “The case was one that should not survive 10 minutes on any court docket as the law is visible even to a blind person that only an ASPIRANT who physically participates in a primary election can question the outcome of such an election.
“The judge pretended not to understand that from the prayer/reliefs sought in the Originating Summons, it is the Primary Election that was being questioned by people referred to as “intending delegates”.N“He went on to create legal standing for them and purported to have also cancelled our primary election and ordered that none should even hold – against the clear provisions of law that courts cannot stop the holding of elections. “This corrupt judge was cleverly used to interfere with the conduct and outcome of the said election,” Onu said.
He noted that the result of the election interference by the Judge was clear yesterday as only 58, 075 voters came out to vote from the total registered voters/PVC collection of 484, 259 in the 5 LGAs of Ebonyi South.
Reacting to the allegations, the APC Chairman in the state, Stanley Emegha disagreed with Mr Onu describing the election as free and fair. He accused the opposition of laying the complaints because they had lost the election. He commended INEC, security, and agencies for conducting a credible and fair election.
