Why INEC suspended collation of governorship election results in Abia, Enugu
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday, March 20, 2023, suspended result collation in Abia and Enugu State.
Amid widespread reports of voter suppression in some Local Government Areas (LGAs), INEC reported on Sunday, March 19, 2023, that thugs invaded their Obingwa office in Abia State. Obingwa is the home of the incumbent governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who lost his senatorial bid to Senator Enyinaya Abaribe.
“The Commission hereby suspend the collation of results in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State,” the statement signed by Festus Okoyo, INEC’s National Commission and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, read in part.
Also, citing cases of regularities in Enugu State, the electoral body suspended the results collation in the state’s Nsukka and Nkanu East Local Government Area.
Abia State gubernatorial race is a two-horse race between Alex Otti of Labour Party and Okey Ahiwe, an Ngwa man from Isialangwa North who was anointed by the Ikeazu also an Ngwa man. Ngwa is an Igboid tribe in Abia State, often regarded as the most populous ethnic group in the state. Out of the 14 LGAs announced by INEC, Otti maintains a clear lead in eight LGAs including Aba South and Umuahia South.
In 2015, Obingwa was canceled and a rerun was conducted where PDP polled 82,240 votes as against 1,952 scored by All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the platform Alex Otti started his political career.
