The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has cried out over alleged bias by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC), which it accused of having developed a culture of declaring elections inconclusive especially when the votes favour the party.

APGA poured out its frustrations in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its Publicity Bureau, a copy of which was made available to News Express. It d demanded a stop to this ‘culture’. The statement copied INEC and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said:

“We, at the ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA), totally condemn the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) trend and rash of declaring elections ‘inconclusive’, where and when the ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA) are heavily favoured.

“This pattern of inconclusiveness does not jell with our electorate who are always held in suspense, and asked to withhold their exhalation and exhilaration at the moment of victory. This is not fair. It is also not right. We, at the ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA) refuse to be continuously haunted during and after elections by this spectre of vote denial, which always rears its ugly head during elections in APGA heavily favoured states/areas, and often disenfranchises the APGA electorate. We demand a STOP to this CULTURE!

“It is our opinion at the ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE, that we deserve to enjoy our victorious moments and not have same dampened by administrative and political maneuvers, whose managers know better. What do these bureaucrats have against the expression of joy? Or, is there an existing underhand somewhere?

“We ask INEC to STOP THEIR PREDISPOSITION. It is becoming a bias. They cannot continue to rain on our parade. APGA will recall patterns of denial by INEC during the 2007 Imo State Gubernatorial Elections, where the APGA candidate – Chief Martin Agbaso, was denied victory at the final hour by INEC bureaucrats, claiming electoral inconsistencies in some voting areas. APGA will also recall same tendency of ‘inconclusiveness’ during the 2011 Imo State Governorship elections between the then APGA candidate – Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, where the APGA favoured results were held for days and weeks due to INEC”s inconclusiveness. We will also recall the recent 2013 House of Assembly elections at in Oguta, Imo State, where INEC declared the same election inconclusive. We ask, why only at APGA heavily favoured elections?

“We warn the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to desist from this vogue. Such trend lends itself to uneasiness in the electorate, stumps the polity and political party, who feel the threatened disenfranchisement and the non-recognition of their campaign efforts and votes, leading to unnecessary heating of the polity due to a perception of a predisposition towards bias against the APGA. INEC’s inclination towards ‘inconclusiveness’ also results in outright voter apathy in later elections. The inconclusive trend also opens up avenues for electoral gerrymandering including influence peddling, numbers manipulation, rigging, volatile gossip and other maneuvers, which are not in the interest of the winning APGA party, and democracy in general.

“INEC should check itself. The APGA electorate is a law-abiding electorate and should not be taken for granted, or their calmness taken for indifference. Celebration denied, is also victory denied, as the aftermath of most victories solidifies the political campaigns and expectations of a political party. Victorious political parties cannot be denied their highs.

“The APGA electorate deserves to enjoy the breath of fresh air, and aroma of meritorious victory which comes with casting their votes. Withholding poll results under the guise that ‘…The total number of cancelled votes was more than the difference between number of votes cast for the winner and runner-up of the election…’ sounds like bunkum does not hold water, especially when the APGA candidate leads in 16 of 21 Local Government Areas in Anambra State, where polling had been concluded and results ratified by the INEC. This is why the INEC should employ statisticians and use broad statistical analysis, instead of narrow mathematical frames as above, amongst other factors to analyse voting patterns in different districts, aiding conduct durable and fair elections. Broad statistical analysis is used in all democratic civilisations to account for votes cast and the voting patterns of the electorate. With APGA leading in 16 of 21 LGAs in Anambra State, it will be a statistical travesty to think the elections would go any other way.

“The Anambra gubernatorial elections from released statistics should have been outrightly declared in favour of APGA. There is no way, no way that the results from Idemili, or the other purported 6 Local Government Areas (LGAs), even if they all voted for other gubernatorial contestants from the contending parties, will surpass the votes already cast for the winning APGA candidate, and Governor-Elect to be of Anambra State – Chief Willie Obiano – Akpokuedike Aguleri, by the other 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Anambra State.

“In future elections, APGA will like to see the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) do better. NO MORE INCONCLUSIVENESS, especially at elections where the ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA) is hugely favored.

“INEC should break from this ‘inconclusive’ culture and free the ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE from a pattern of serial suspense after elections. We did not do anything wrong other than express our discipline to our electorate, who rewarded us in kind through their votes. APGA has every intention of defending those hard fought for votes.

“It’s time to let APGA simultaneously break out the victory drums and celebrate a meritorious victory for 1) our Great Party – The ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA), 2) Our candidate – Chief Willie Obiano, and 3) the good people of Anambra State, as it is done elsewhere after polling. Let the celebrations begin!

•Photo shows APGA National Chairman, Sir Victor Umeh.

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