Okorocha's Men Forced Me To Declare Him Winner - Returning Officer

Prof. Innocent Ibeawuchi, the Returning Officer for the Imo West senatorial election on Saturday, has said he was held hostage by men working for Governor Rochas Okorocha from Sunday night till Monday morning and forced to name their candidate winner of the election. 

According to the result, Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled  97,762 votes to  win the election ahead  of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Jones Onyereri (68,117) and All Progressive Grand Alliance’s Osita Izunaso (30,084).

The don said  because  he  feared  for his life he had to announce the result which he claimed was inconclusive,  because of the electoral fraud  in eight  Local Government Areas.

He said he was rescued by policemen and soldiers after he had announced the result.

He said, “I was compelled to announce the result which was inconclusive. I am a man  of integrity and it is not true that the governor slapped me but  I was held hostage by agents working for him. I was manhandled and I thank God I came back alive.”

Okorocha has however dismissed the allegations saying the man is a “bloody liar who may be acting a script”.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, read: “Having won  in nine out of the 12 local government areas announced, we heard that they were   trying to move the result sheets to Owerri but when we demanded an explanation, the man (Ibeawuchi) said he was  tired and didn’t feel safe, when nobody was threatening him. At the end, we discovered that  he didn’t have the declaration sheet. I wonder where this is taking us. I hope INEC would change this system because we will resist them if they try it in the next election.”

The governor added, “They should examine the returning officer to know his mental state. If he doesn’t  have a  mental illness, then he must be a criminal to ever think of that. How could someone ask you to change the result of an election he has already won? My score is above 90,000 and the nearest to me is slightly above half of it, when you combine both Jones and Izunaso’s votes. They can’t match or contest against me in Imo State not to talk of Orlu zone.

“I asked the  Resident Electoral Commissioner here to quickly correct these anomalies. The returning officer is a bloody liar who may be acting a script.”