The Imo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Austin Nwachukwu has described the outcome of the just-concluded local government elections as a murder of democracy.
It accused the State electoral umpire of being a willing tool in the hands of the APC-led administration of Hope Uzodinma.
Nwachukwu made the disclosure during a press briefing in Owerri where he described the election process of bereft of democratic tenets. He alleged that the elections were conducted in hotel rooms and at offices of Sole Administrators across the 27 council areas instead of being carried out at the polling units as required by electoral laws.
The State PDP Chairman expressed disappointment on the part of the State electoral commission, pointing out that by 4 pm on the election day, the absence of both sensitive and nonsensitive electoral materials, including ISIEC staff, were very conspicuous.
“The purported local government elections in the State are nothing to write home about as it was a show of shame, an organized fraud and unprecedented rape of democracy.
“Many frustrated voters returned home after hours of waiting, still they were unable to vote,” he asserted.
Nwachukwu further accused the State electoral umpire of allegedly making electoral materials only available to the ruling APC instead of polling booths.
He further pointed out that the commission failed to follow the electoral guidelines by not releasing the candidates’ list and publishing the voters register before the polls.
The PDP Chairman remarked that the party had previously raised alarms concerning the plans of APC to manipulate the process.
Nwachukwu maintained that the outcome of the exercise demonstrated what he described as a big failure to uphold democratic values under the present administration of Uzodinma.
