I’ll recover my stolen mandate, says Onyeama

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, candidate for the Umuahia-Ikwuano Federal Constituency of Abia state in the 2015 general elections, Sir Collins Onyeama, has expressed confidence that the Abia State Election Petitions Tribunal would restore his mandate.

Onyeama spoke to journalists in Lagos on the legal challenge to recover his lost mandate at the Tribunal which is ongoing.

He said that Nigerians are watching to see how the Tribunal in Umuahia would remedy widespread irregularities and monumental electoral fraud witnessed in Abia State during the March 28 National Assembly elections.

Onyeama re-stated that voters in Abia State, especially in his Umuahia-Ikwuano Federal Constituency voted en mass for the APGA.

He disclosed that reports from his field agents and testimony from voters after the election results were announced at the polling booths convinced him that he won the election fair.

“Our petition will be able to prove at the Tribunal how far intimidation, inducement and ballot swapping affected the outcome of the election.

“We intend to prove our case by inspecting the printed data from card reader machines, witnesses’ testimonies and forensic examination of the ballot papers.

“Also 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 were several 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 exercise.

“These are convincing credible facts and evidences at our disposal that we believe will substantiate our case for our mandate to be reclaimed and victory restored,” Onyeama declared.

The APGA candidate said he has absolute confidence that the Tribunal would carry out diligent judicial investigation and expose the widespread fraud that made “the leading candidate to suddenly become the loser.”

Onyeama said that findings at the Tribunal would expose the extent desperate politicians go to rig elections to capture political office.

According to him, innovations introduced by INEC, such as card readers would always expose the underhand activities of desperate politicians.

The APGA chieftain, who returned to Nigeria after a distinguished public service career in the U.S., maintained that he won the election fair and square.

He argued that the outcome of the case at the Abia Tribunal would be a test case for democracy in Nigeria.

Onyeama, however, pleaded with residents of Abia to continue to toe the line of peace, saying that the state could only meet its developmental aspirations in an atmosphere of peace.

He submitted that Abia State would grow when qualified and competent human capital were put in place to tackle the challenges plaguing the state, which he said, was caused by “charlatans being in charge for too long.

“We must take our destiny into our hands to take `God’s Own State’ to the Promised Land.