Abia: Don’t be scared of re-run, Otti tells PDP

 

Governorship candidate of All Progres­sives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has urged mem­bers of the Peoples Dem­ocratic Party (PDP) to accept the cancella­tion of the governor­ship poll in the state by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and get ready for a re-run.
Speaking at his cam­paign office in Umuahia, Otti said he was also dis­satisfied with how INEC Returning Officer in the state, Professor Benja­min Ozumba was han­dling the issue.
He said: “If somebody claims that they were vot­ed for and had about 82 ,000 votes, they should not be afraid, because the same people that voted them will vote for them again if there is a re-run and they will have the same number of votes or even more.”
The governorship hopeful, however, in­sisted on the use of card readers for the conduct of the re-run poll as man­dated by INEC.
“I am very disappoint­ed that the returning of­ficer recanted his ground, because a professor of medicine should stand his ground, he should not be intimidated.
“I am also disappoint­ed that he swallowed his words 45 minutes after making a pronounce­ment.
“But I am more dis­appointed that a sitting governor will go and in­timidate the collation of­ficer in his state because of election results .
“It is very dishearten­ing that after mount­ing undue influence and pressure on electoral of­ficers, they came and re­versed themselves before international observers, media men and the world as a whole; they don’t have the right,” he said