The Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, on Monday in an interview with State House correspondents in Abuja said those who were prevented from rigging the inconclusive November 16 governorship election in the state were the ones now crying foul over the conduct of the poll.
The governor said that if the election was held 10 times, the All Progressive Grand Alliance would win.
But the All Progressives Congress challenged the governor to back his claim with evidence, while the Labour Party dismissed Obi’s claim.
The APC governorship candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige; his counterpart for the Peoples Democratic Party, Tony Nwoye; and Ifeanyi Uba of the LP had called for the cancellation of the election.
They called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to organise a fresh election in the state.
But the commission had fixed November 30 for a supplementary election.
Obi on Monday boasted that he could go anywhere to declare that he did not rig the election in favour of the APGA candidate as being alleged.
Obi said, “Let me tell you, in the election in Anambra State, I can go to any where as a Christian and tell you there was no issue of rigging.
“Those who wanted to rig were prevented from rigging and they are now crying. Go to the people of Anambra State, if you repeat that election 10 times, they will never win.
“What are they even talking about cancellation? The regulation, the rules or the law says that you have to win at least 25% in two-third of the local governments and in Anambra’s case, it is 14 local governments.
“Only APGA can boast of that; we won in 18 local governments. The nearest, which is PDP, won in nine local governments, APC is seven. And I can tell you that even those results they are shouting about, their own are the one that is doubtful.
“Everything for APGA is real. I cannot be part of rigging; I don’t have money to pay for people. You know those who spend money and I am not one of them.”
But the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “We have given eight reasons why the election should be cancelled. Let him give one reaon for what he said. He should go public with his evidence.”
On its part, the Anambra State Chapter of the LP dismissed Obi’s claims that it was those that were prevented from rigging the election that were complaining about its outcome.
The state chairman of the party, Mr. Sam Oraegbunam, told one of our correspondents that the governor was talking like a thief who would not admit to the fact he had stolen what belonged to someone else.
“It is obvious to every Anambra person and the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Jega that the election was flawed. And that is why they are having a supplementary election.
“You don’t expect him to say anything otherwise. You do not expect a thief to admit that he is a thief,” Oraegbunam said.
Also, a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, described the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State as a bad omen for 2015 general election.
Abubakar, who spoke in Abuja at the premises of the Maidunama Sickle Cell Foundation on Monday as part of activities to mark his 67th birthday, urged INEC to buckle up.
He was responding to questions from reporters on the outcome of the controversial election, which was marred with several complaints and irregularities.
The former VP said, “The outcome of the Anambra State governorship election is a very serious disappointment and a bad omen for the 2015 general election. INEC need to do a lot of homework to correct the anomalies.”
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