The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State has won all 27 local government chairmanship positions and 305 councillorship seats in the recently concluded elections.
This was confirmed by Charles Ejiogu, Chairman of the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC), who officially announced the results at the Commission’s Secretariat in Owerri, the state capital. Ejiogu stated, “All APC candidates have been declared winners as Councilors and Executive Council Chairmen-elect. The elections were held across 305 electoral wards and 27 local government areas in Imo State.”
However, the National Youth Alliance (NYA), Imo State chapter, criticized the election, calling it a “charade” and a “slap on democracy.” The group accused ISIEC of colluding with the ruling APC to manipulate the election and prevent voters from exercising their rights.
In a statement, Chinonso Uba, the State Coordinator of NYA, claimed that electoral materials were distributed selectively, with ISIEC staff failing to show up in some council areas, despite results being declared from those locations. Uba also alleged that over 250 wards were deprived of voting materials, leaving many unable to cast their votes.
“Ballot boxes and result sheets arrived as late as 3 p.m. in some areas, and in others, ISIEC did not show up, resulting in the disenfranchisement of many voters,” Uba added.