Anambra: Obiano Alleges Governorship Election Rigged Already; Hospital Decries Wicked Lies

By Gideon Njoku

Outgoing Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano,  says the Anambra Governorship election holding today, November 6, has already been rigged.

He and his Government hold the All Progressives Congress, APC and those they called some unscrupulous staff members of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, responsible.

Obiano says the election results in ten Local Government Areas in the State have already been written in favor of the APC. Anambra is made up of 21 LGAs.

Obiano’s allegation is contained in a press statement issued on Friday night, signed by his Commissioner for Information, C. Don Adinuba.

He Alleges that result sheets were made available to the APC, and had been filled and signed for them already. He accused them of taking advantage of the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari has not signed, into Law, the new Electoral  Bill which makes electronic voting compulsory.

But the Director of Publicity, Senator Andy Uba Governorship Campaign Organisation, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, dismissed the allegation as that of a drowning man. The Governor and his  Government, he said, have seen the handwriting on the wall. Defeat stares them in the face, Ogene said.

Adinuba’s statement reads in part:

“The Anambra State Government has credible intelligence showing that the All Progressives Cogress (APC) has already written results of 10 Local Government Areas as regards the gubernatorial election which will take place tomorrow (today) November 6, 2021. The results are those of Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Aguata, Orumba South, Orumba North, Idemili North, Idemili South, Ogbaru, Anambra East and Anambra West. These are LGAs with high numbers of voters.

“APC operatives are relying on compromised Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, who smuggled out the result sheets  of a number of polling units two nights ago and the result sheets of some LGAs last night, to accept an announce the results, regardless of authentic results submitted by INEC officials electronically.

“They plan to capitalize on the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has yet to assent to the new Electoral Bill which makes electronic voting mandatory to perpetrate fraud.”

The statement also accused some high profile individuals of being behind the act.

“A former Senate President from the South-east, a former Deputy Governor who later became a Senator from the South-west,  and a sitting Governor from the South-east are deeply involved in the fraud to toy with the destiny of the Anambra people.

“This public announcement is to alert the Anambra people, the INEC national leadership, the security agencies, the mass media, election observers, civil society organizations and the international community   of this grand plot. The barefooted brigantine just cannot stand”, the statement said.

In another development, the Management of a renowned Hospital, Rex Memorial Hospital, has denied any involvement or any complicity in any plan to rig the Anambra Governorship election.

On Friday evening, an inexplicable Whatsaap message had gone out to the effect that Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, had given the Hospital, located in Nempi, Oru West LGA, Imo State, the sum of N30m to use their Hospital to thumbprint and write the Anambra Governorship election results.

The Management of the Hospital dismissed the story as mischievous, and a wicked lie. “It is the handiwork of enemies”, it said.

“Rex Memorial Hospital is a non-governmental organization, established in 1971,  just immediately after the Civil War, to bring succor to the war-torn region. We are a 50 year-old private hospital today with outstanding track record,” the Management said.

It asked the general public to disregard the story. “It is completely false.”

The Anambra Governorship election is already ongoing, today, November 6, 2021. Most people say the  election is a three-way race between the APC, PDP, and the ruling party in the State, APGA. Voter apathy is expected because of the security situation in the State. Many people have already left the State to wait out the election.