How I was Forced To Declare Rochas As Winner Of Orlu Senatorial District Election- INEC Collation Officer, Professor Ibeawuchi

Dan Opara

The Imo PDP Candidate for Orlu Zone Senatorial polls,Rt.Hon Jones Onyeriri,has expressively alleged attempt by the State Governor,Rochas Okorocha,who is the APC Senatorial Candidate into harassing the INEC Collation Officer Prof.Innocent  Ibeawuchi, into declaring a fake results.

Briefing newsmen last Monday in Owerri, Hon.Jones said ” I’m here to alert the whole world, about what is happening in Imo West Senatorial district, just about few minutes ago, Governor Okorocha in company with security agencies invaded the senatorial collection center in Orlu and held the returning officer Prof.I.I.Ibeawuchi hostage, threatened his life to declare an illegal results”.

Hon.Jones continued ” I found it very unholy because as at 1:30am yesterday, after the collation Officer has carefully accessed all the results that were given to him he disclosed that he’ll not continue with the announcement of the results and that the election is cancelled and that he would proceed back to Owerri after the Resident Electoral Commissioner approved of it”.

Sir. Jones said he is saddened that after the directives of the Imo REC for Professor Ibeawuchi to come over to Owerri, nothing happened rather the E.O. was held hostage by APC agents from yesterday (02-25-19) till dawn.

He added ” the forced him to go ahead to announce the result”

Meanwhile Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha has been declared Senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial zone.

The Collation Officer, Professor Ibeawuchi  announced Okorocha winner, after he polled a total of 97,762 votes to defeated his closest rival, Jones Onyereri of the PDP who scored 63.117 votes.

Futhermore, our reporter who visited Orlu Collation Center, yesterday, after the media briefing also confirmed in a swift chat with Prof.Ibeawuchi, who re-insisted that, he was forced to announce APC-Rochas as the winner of the polls under duress by some interested party members of APC who were Rochas’s group at Orlu.