•He’s negatively influencing outcome of tribunal —Umahi 

By Peter Okutu 

The Labour Party’s Senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South zone, Mr. Linus Okorie, yesterday, alleged that his mandate was stolen and given to the outgoing Governor of the state, David Umahi by the Independent National electoral commission, INEC.

Okorie, who represented Ohaozara, Onicha, and Ivo, Ohanivo, Federal constituency at the House of Representatives, insisted that he was the one that won the Ebonyi south senatorial seat that was held on 25th February 2023.

He stated this while speaking with newsmen in Abakaliki.

The Senatorial candidate further alleged that Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State was not qualified to contest for Senate even as he stressed that  Umahi didn’t win the last primary election conducted by INEC ahead of  the Ebonyi South Senatorial  election.

According to him: “I like to say that I’m the presumed winner of the Ebonyi south senatorial zone election, conducted on 25th February 2023, irrespective of the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced APC candidate, David Umahi as a winner.

“An election was held on 25th of February, 2023, where Governor David Umahi was a candidate for APC and I was a candidate for Labour Party, LP, and there were other candidates. His supporters including the Local Government Chairman of Onicha LGA made thugs to be known as APC members and  supporters to destroy votes in Polling Units within my community and my wards, and that’s the areas of my strength; where ordinarily, I’m expected to harvest the  maximum number of votes, just like Umahi did in Umunaga ward.

“If you go to Ivo LGA, in Ngwugwu ward, in the ward collations and after tabulating the results by whatever they have done, Labour Party, LP, which is my Party scored 551votes, while APC scored 290 votes, but instead of entering 551votes that my Party scored, they decided to enter 290 votes to be same with that of APC that scored 290 votes. Taking  away 261 votes is stealing votes. The BVAS is there to confirm it.

“I did a petition when I found out that they (INEC) want to declare him (Umahi), I quoted section 24(3) of the electoral acts, which prohibits the Returning Officer from announcing the results but because of the pressure mounted on him (Returning Officer), he declared that results. Is that not stealing?”

Reacting, Governor David Umahi in a press  conference in his office, at the Centenary City, Abakaliki, threatened to drag Mr. Linus Okorie to  court to prove how he (Umahi) stole his mandate.

“I  listened to Linus Okorie, and I want to use this opportunity to warn him if he continues to say that he has a stolen mandate. I will take him to court to prove that his mandate was stolen because he has a criminal insinuation. He (Okorie) must prove who stole his mandate. And he is relatively influencing the outcome of the Tribunal by saying that, and I must stop him (Okorie) from saying it.”