2023 Election: I Will reclaim my mandate -Senator Onwe

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ebonyi Central Senatorial Zone in Ebonyi State, Senator Emmanuel Onwe has vowed to challenge the election which produces the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Ken Eze as the winner in the last Saturday poll. Onwe alleged that the election was characterized by fraud, corruption and manipulations which according to him must not be allowed to stand. He vowed that he will challenge the election in court in order to recover his mandate. He disclosed that he has been gathering evidence since after the election which he will use to challenge the poll. Onwe, a former Senator and former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in the state, who briefed journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital, faulted INEC for declaring Ezza North/Ishielu federal constituency election in the zone inconclusive and declaring the result of the Ebonyi Central Senatorial Zone. “Oriuzor is one of the wards in the zone out of 58 wards, Oriuzor is the largest ward in terms of electoral value. It has 17,000 registered voters with more than 10,500 collected PVCs. “And the law stipulates that if the margin of the person declared and returned, the margin he was declared is less than the collected PVCs, the declaration cannot be made. “In this case, INEC officials bribed, corrupted as they were, proceeded to make a declaration when more than 10, 000 votes are still lying there to be vying for. And it is much more irrational when you considered that the House of Representatives APGA candidate was not returned on the basics that Oriuzor has not been concluded and a new election is going to be held in that ward on Saturday. “The question arises, what is the difference between the house of Representatives election and the senatorial election in the zone? “Why were the declaration and return made in one case and not in the other? In Ikwo, ballot box snatching in various wards was reported, over-voting in various wards was reported. “The returning officer was made aware of these infractions and he was aware and he dictated them and he went ahead to attempt to clean the irregularities and manipulations and made a declaration and a return that was alleged on the basis of inducement and corruption. “All the citizens who came out to vote, we reassure them that the APGA candidates especially the gubernatorial candidate reassures them that everything possible will be made, every single step will be taken, and every legal option will be considered. We cannot be discouraged we are empowered, energized and ready, willing to confront the forces of darkness that are trying to overwhelm the electoral processes.