By Gbenga Oke

Candidate of  All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, for the Umuahia-Ikwuano federal constituency in the just-concluded general elections, Sir Collins Onyeama, has expressed optimism that  Abia State Election Petitions Tribunal will restore the mandate of the party at all levels in the state.

He also said Nigerians were watching to see how the tribunal, sitting in Umuahia, would remedy widespread irregularities and monumental electoral fraud witnessed in Abia State during the elections.

Onyeama said:  “Reports from his field agents and testimony from voters after the election results were announced at the polling booths convinced us that our party won the election and I believe strongly that our petition would be able to prove at the tribunal how intimidation, inducement and ballot swapping affected the outcome of the election.

“We are going to prove our case by inspecting the printed data from card reader machines, present witnesses, testimonies and forensic examination of the ballot papers while we will press for the inspection of voters registers and provide additional facts and evidences that will further expose the irregularities and falsification of the election results at the polling booths and collation centres.

“There are instances of multiple results sheets with exaggerated and conflicting numbers for several polling results and collation results that were inconsistent and contradictory.

‘’There were several instances of over issuance of ballot papers for numerous polling units that were unaccounted for at the end of the polling and these are convincing credible facts at our  disposal that we believe will substantiate our case for our mandate to be reclaimed and victory restored.