The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the collation of the Abia State governorship election results will resume at 4 pm today, Wednesday, at the Collation Centre located in the state capital, Umuahia.
On Monday, the electoral body suspended the results collation, citing the invasion of its office in Obingwa LGA by thugs on Sunday. Results from Nkanu East and Nsukka LGAs in Enugu State were also suspended for further review.
However, INEC’s Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Rebecca Jim, confirmed that the collation would continue today.
She stated that the Presiding Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, Professor Nnenna Oti, and the State Administrative Secretary, Clement Oha, were on their way back to the state to complete the process.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate for Abia, Alex Otti, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of plotting to rig the election through the Obingwa LGA.
Otti made the allegation during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, hours after the results collation was suspended. He claimed that the PDP and Governor Ikpeazu planned to rig the exercise through Obingwa LGA.