The INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega

Jega Regrets Cancellation of Election Results in Abia

 The INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega

The INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega

In a Twitter media chat with the public which started at 10 this Tuesday morning, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega has come out to say that the initial cancellation of the election results of some Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Abia state was a mistake.

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The Professor who answered different questions on the happenings surrounding the elections and collation of results during the chat disclosed this while responding to a query on Abia elections.

According to Jega: “it was a mistake to cancel elections in 3 local Government areas in Abia State. We said particularly that affected wards should be cancelled and not the 3 LGAs.”

It would be recalled that following the 11th April governorship elections, there were claims of rigging, ballot snatching, over voting amongst other electoral vices, hence, the elections in Abia state were considered a mess. At the point of collation, the INEC returning officer in the state, Professor Benjamin Ozumba the vice Chancellor of University of Nsukka, cancelled the elections of 3 LGAs, stating that elections did not hold in those LGAs. However, after much manoeuvring that took place outdoors, he came back to say it had been resolved.

It has since emerged that the fraud and irregularities in Abia state during the elections was allegedly planned and executed by the state governor, his party and their allies in INEC.

Different political parties have since called for total cancellation of the whole process in Abia state and for a rerun to be arranged. To which jega responded that “There were also allegations of no election take place, which we investigated and saw was not true”

He continued that the mistakes made in Abia could be corrected and had been corrected immediately.

“If a mistake was made and we could correct it within the legal framework then we intervene and make corrections”

He insisted that the elections had taken place and was conclusive.