Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said the Independent National Electoral Commission lacked power to withhold his certificate of return as the senator-elect for the Imo West.
He described the electoral body’s decision to withhold his certificate as part of efforts aimed at making him irrelevant ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Okorocha while addressing some youths who paid him a solidarity visit on Wednesday noted this at the Government House, Owerri.
He added that for an election to be nullified after a winner had been declared, only a court had the power to do so.
On INEC’s returning officer declaring him winner of the senatorial election under duress, he debunks the claims adding that the allegation was an insult.
Read full statement:
“My certificate of return has not been issued and I wonder why INEC will withhold my certificate for a frivolous reason, without hearing from me.
“I am not a violent person and those who know me know that. This is why we have peace in Imo State.
“The returning officer could not have done that under duress under the watchful eyes of the police, the DSS (the Department of State Services) and party agents.
“I am not unmindful of the facts that those who are fighting me from Abuja are anxious to see me removed as a senator. I urge INEC to do the right thing immediately by releasing my certificate.”
“My INEC certificate cannot be touched or seized. Doing so is belittling democracy in Nigeria.
“It is only the tribunal that has the right to say otherwise once a result is declared.
“INEC cannot seize my certificate because of a mere petition written by somebody in a case I was not given the opportunity to present my own side of the story.”
“It is obvious that INEC in Imo State is not guaranteeing us free, fair and credible elections.
“Uche Nwosu, the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance actually won the election, but INEC criminally disbanded electoral officers of the commission and introduced people from Abia College of Agriculture who arrived the state midnight.
“They brought people they had been training for weeks in Anambra before the elections.”