Who advised the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to sign the Certificate of Return issued to Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah as governor of Abia State on June 28, 2016?
Although he was not the INEC chairman when the election was held last year, was he not briefed that the April 11, 2015 election was inconclusive, as declared by INEC then under Prof. Attahiru Jega?
Is Yakubu aware that the supplementary election that brought Okezie Ikpeazu into office as governor was held on April 25, 2015 and a Certificate of Return was given to Ikpeazu signed by Jega that he won the election based on the votes of April 25?
Why then did Yakubu sign Ogah’s Certificate of Return to read “Samson Uchechukwu Ogah of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been elected to the office of Governor of Abia State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the election held on the 11th day of April, 2015?”
These are some of the questions on the lips of stakeholders in the South-East state on Thursday as the news broke that Ogar’s Certificate of Return may be invalid after all.
A source said the April 11 election never produced a governor, so “Ogar is just going about with an invalid document”.
“The election that produced a governor in Abia State in 2015 was the supplementary election of April 25, 2015 and not the April 11 election which INEC declared inconclusive. Ogah’s Certificate of Return bears the date of April 11, which failed to produce a governor.
“Recall that INEC declared the April 11 governorship election in Abia State inconclusive, despite the fact that Ikpeazu of PDP was leading Alex Otti of APGA with a wide margin.
“INEC called for a supplementary election in about eight cancelled LGAs in the state on April 25, which Ikpeazu also won and was declared winner. And INEC issued him with a Certificate of Return as winner of the election after the supplementary election.
“So, what Ogah has is an invalid document that can’t make him governor. He can’t lay claims to the governorship of Abia State on the basis of an inconclusive election.”
