Enugu guber: IPAC asks INEC to announce collated results

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Political parties in Enugu State under the auspices of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have asked Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to direct the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Enugu State, Chukwuemeka J. Chukwu and the State Returning Officer, Prof. Maduebibisi O. Iwe to as a matter of urgency announce the already collated results of governorship election from the 17 local government areas and declare the winner of the election without further delay.
IPAC, which made the call during a press conference in Enugu, on Tuesday, stated that “any action short of this will be outside the law and could bring anarchy to an already fragile situation,” stressing that “INEC has no power under our laws to review collated results.”
The parties maintained that “the results of the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs), including those of Nkanu East and Nsukka LGAs, were all collated by the State Returning Officer on March 19, 2023” stating that “by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, the only other duty remaining for the State Returning Officer, who is acting on INEC’s behalf is to add up the figures, announce them, and declare the winner in line with Section 65 and 66 of the Electoral Act 2022.”
Describing the delay in the announcement of the final result of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Enugu State, as “needless confusion and restiveness”,
IPAC said: It is our strong view that the INEC State Returning Officer has discharged his statutory responsibility by collating the results of all the 17 local government areas, including those of Nsukka and Nkanu East Local Government Areas. The remaining responsibility for the State Returning Officer is to announce results and declare the winner. INEC cannot be a judge in its own case, if any.”