The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the just concluded bye-election for Ogoja/Yala federal constituency of Cross River State, Mike Usibe, has rejected the results of the election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, alleging that the exercise was marred by killings, thuggery and unprecedented electoral fraud perpetuated by security agencies.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, and it’s candidate, Jude Ngaji, had on Saturday won the bye-election, with the APC candidate polling 22,778 votes to defeat PDP’s Usibe, who scored 20,590 votes.
Usibe in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday vowed to challenge the outcome of the election in court, just as he accused the security operatives loyal to APC of shooting innocent electorate during the election.
He said, “Arising from the Ogoja/Yala federal constituency bye-election, which took place on Saturday, 26th February, 2022, there are fundamental issues that can not be glossed over, in the interest of the electoral process, the good people of the Ogoja/Yala federal constituency and posterity. First, the people came out and voted massively for their party of choice, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and outrightly rejected Governor Ben Ayade and the APC. The PDP clearly won the election.
“Secondly, the governor, realizing that the APC had lost, ordered a mixed group of security forces and cultists, led by his Aide de Camp, ADC, and Chief Security Officer, CSO, to unleash on the electoral process, unprecedented violence. This vicious group of marauders, ultimately held INEC officials hostage, forcing them to post false results in favour of the APC. In the light of the foregoing, I hereby state clearly that I am the authentic winner of the bye-election and should have been so declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. I thank the good people of Ogoja/Yala and all my supporters for giving me their mandate, which by the grace of God is still intact.”
