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NDC candidate rejects Enugu North bye-election result
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

NDC candidate rejects Enugu North bye-election result

From Premium Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • NDC candidate Oscar Ossai rejected the results of the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election, where he placed third.
  • Ossai cited widespread irregularities, including alleged non-use of BVAS, failure to transmit results, and vote buying.
  • He indicated that his legal team is compiling evidence for presentation to appropriate authorities and urged for an investigation into reported incidents.

Oscar Ossai, the candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election, has rejected the poll's outcome, stating it was "fundamentally flawed and incapable of reflecting the true will" of the electorate. Ossai, who finished third behind the APC candidate Ikeje Asogwa, declared in a statement on Monday that a "comprehensive assessment" led him to conclude no valid by-election took place.

fundamentally flawed and incapable of reflecting the true will

— Oscar OssaiDescribing the outcome of the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election.

Ossai asserted that the electoral process failed to meet expected standards of credibility, transparency, and fairness. He alleged widespread irregularities and malpractices across the district. Specific concerns included the alleged non-use of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in numerous polling units, the failure to electronically transmit results even where BVAS was functional, and discrepancies between polling unit results and collation figures.

Further allegations from the NDC candidate encompass vote buying, voter intimidation, violence, and the unlawful diversion and manipulation of ballot papers and result sheets. Ossai also claimed that a significant number of ad-hoc personnel deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were "card-carrying" members of the APC, compromising the election's neutrality.

The electoral process fell short of the standards of credibility, transparency and fairness expected in a democratic election.

— Oscar OssaiDetailing his rejection of the election results.

The cumulative effect of these reported incidents, Ossai argued, casts "serious doubt" on the election's credibility. His legal team and the NDC are reportedly compiling evidence, including witness accounts and polling unit records, for presentation to legal and constitutional authorities. Ossai urged security agencies to investigate all reported incidents and called for a thorough review of the electoral process by INEC, observers, and civil society organizations to safeguard future elections.

serious doubt

— Oscar OssaiExpressing his concerns about the election's credibility due to reported incidents.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Premium Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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