By NewsBits
The Enugu State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to go ahead to formerly declare its gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Peter Mbah, as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state.
This was even as the party warned the Labour Party and its governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga against what it termed a do-or-die politics, noting that while the PDP had taken its losses with democratic equanimity, the LP wants INEC to cancel results of places where the LP lost elections.
Recall that at the state election collation centre on Sunday, the returning officer for Nkanu East LGA, announced that the PDP gubernatorial candidate polled 30,350 votes in his native LGA, Nkanu East, while his LP counterpart polled 1,855 votes to place second.
However, the LP, while not contesting the total of 30, 294 it recorded in Nsukka LGA, had called on the state returning officer to cancel that of Nkanu East. But in a statement on Sunday by its spokesperson, Nana Ogbodo, the PDP Campaign Council demanded the immediate declaration of its candidate as the governor-elect for the state.
It said: “We call on INEC to immediately declare Dr. Ndubuisi Mbah as the governor-elect for Enugu State, having fulfilled all the requirements of the constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.
“We insist that the LP cannot be allowed to derail Enugu’s democratic progress with its do-or-die politics as avowed by its senator-elect, Chief Okey Ezea in a widely circulated video ahead of the governorship election.
“It is noted that the LP candidate won the gubernatorial election in Udenu, the local government of the incumbent governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who is of the PDP extraction, and we did not complain. The LP also won the Enugu North senatorial seat in the 25th February election against a sitting governor of the PDP extraction, we did not reject their victory.
“Edeoga equally claimed to have garnered 12,518 votes in Isi-Uzo LGA where about half of the registered voters hail from Eha-Amufu and where thousands of people were recently displaced as a result of herdsmen attacks and related security crisis are just beginning to return home in trickles. But complaints from Isi-Uzo, especially Eha-Amufu showed that Edeoga militarised the election and forged election results; developments that have been officially communicated to the INEC and the authorities.
“We find it hypocritical on the part of the LP to accept its victory, including the votes it garnered from Nkanu East LGA to emerge the winner in the Enugu East senatorial election held on the same day as the governorship election, but only to reject the result of the governorship election because the PDP candidate expectedly garnered the most votes in his native LGA and stronghold”.
The PDP Campaign Council, therefore warned the Labour Party to stop overheating the polity and accept defeat. “The LP and its governorship candidate must eschew the do-or-die mentality and acts capable of triggering confusion and political violence in Enugu’s democratic process.
“The INEC is not a Governorship Election Petition Tribunal; hence the LP is advised to stop dragging the election management body and its returning officer beyond their mandate. They should rather approach the Election Petition Tribunal if it feels aggrieved for any reason in the outcome of the governorship election”, the PDP concluded.
