I declared Okorocha winner under duress – Returning officer

The Returning Officer for the Imo West Senatorial District election on Saturday, Prof. Innocent Ibeawuchi, has said he was forced to declare Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State the winner of the poll.

Ibeawuchi said he caved in to pressure by the supporters of Okorocha, the All Progressives Congress candidate for the poll.

Okorocha, according to the result released by the Returning Office, polled 97,762 votes to defeat Jone Onyereri of the Peoples Democratic Party with 68,117 votes and and All Progressive Grand Alliance’s Osita Izunaso, who scored 30,084 votes.

Ibeawuchi, who spoke with newsmen, said he was held hostage from 7pm on Sunday till 11am on Monday.

He said because he feared for his life, he had to announce the result.

He, however, said the election was inconclusive because of fraud in eight local government areas.

He said he was rescued after he had announced the result by policemen and soldiers.

Ibeawuchi said: “I was compelled to announce the result, which was inconclusive.

“I am a man of integrity and it is not true that the governor slapped me but I was held hostage by agents working for him.

“I was manhandled and I thank God I came back alive.”

But Okorocha dismissed the allegations, insisting he deserved to win the election.

Okorocha, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, described Ibeawuchi as “a bloody liar who may be acting a script”.

He said: “Having won  in nine out of the 12 local government areas announced, we heard that they were   trying to move the result sheets to Owerri but when we demanded an explanation, the man (Ibeawuchi) said he was  tired and didn’t feel safe, when nobody was threatening him. At the end, we discovered that  he didn’t have the declaration sheet. I wonder where this is taking us. I hope INEC would change this system because we will resist them if they try it in the next election.

“They should examine the returning officer to know his mental state. If he doesn’t  have a  mental illness, then he must be a criminal to ever think of that. How could someone ask you to change the result of an election he has already won? My score is above 90,000 and the nearest to me is slightly above half of it, when you combine both Jones and Izunaso’s votes. They can’t match or contest against me in Imo State not to talk of Orlu zone.

“I asked the  Resident Electoral Commissioner here to quickly correct these anomalies. The returning officer is a bloody liar who may be acting a script.”