Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sly Ezokenwa, has dismissed claims by opposition parties that the Anambra by-election was marred by sabotage and voter intimidation.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, he insisted that the exercise was one of the most credible elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide proof of their allegations.
Ezokenwa stated that the parties were only crying because they lacked structures and were roundly defeated at the polls.
He said, “Well, let me start with the basic principle of law, that he who alleges has the onus of proof, and I don’t think it is on us to begin to proffer reasons or provide evidence in support of the allegations of the so-called opposition.
“They have absolutely nothing to offer, and have decided to cry foul about a process, an election that has been adjudged by all and sundry, including election observers, as very credible.”
Ezokenwa, who said he was a “major player at that election,” asserted that, “From the distribution of both sensitive and non-sensitive materials, up until the end of voting, entering a result sheet in various polling units, collation of results, and the ultimate declaration, it was a seamless process. In most polling units, at least I can say 95% of polling units, without exaggeration, materials arrived, as early as 8am. I’ve not seen INEC get it right with logistics as they did on August 16th.”
Responding to ADC’s claim that its agents were prevented from monitoring results, he said, “If you did not upload your agents to the dedicated portal, how will you have agents? Even the political party that you mentioned, the ADC, they don’t have any structure in Anambra state.
“Absolutely no structure. The so-called candidate of the ADC is unknown, He lost his polling unit.”
On allegations that Governor Charles Soludo and APGA deployed operatives to intimidate voters, he said, “A day or two days before the election, we had an AIG, who announced that only conventional security agencies of the country are allowed to function at that election. To that extent, members of the Aguleri chamber, they were not part of the election at all.”
He accused APC candidate Hon. Azuka Okosa of abducting electoral officials, “Not allegation, we have irrefutable evidence. We have voice notes. We have videos. In fact, in one of the videos, you could see the president general of the community, outside the gate of Honourable Azuka Okosa.”
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