Election: Returning Officer Denies Declaring Ubah Winner under Duress

 

The returning Officer for Anambra South senatorial election in last Saturday poll, Prof Meshach Umenweke, on Thursday denied publication by some national dailies that he declared the candidate of the Young Progressives Party(YPP), Ifeanyi Ubah, winner to save his life.

Umenweke in a letter addressed to the Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC) of Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, said the publication by the national dailies were untrue.

He said: “I never at any point said I announced the result of the Anambra South senatorial election under duress nor in the mode that is implied (by the newspapers).

“No gun or knife was pointed at me at the material time of the election result announcement. The election tribunal remains the constitutionally recognised means for any aggrieved party,” he said.

Umenweke had last Sunday announced Ubah of the YPP as winner of the Anambra South senatorial election against Chris Uba of PDP;  Andy Uba of APC and Nicholas Ukachukwu of APGA.

The Nnamdi Azikiwe University professor who worked as the returning officer in the election said: “By the virtue of the foregoing, I hereby re-affirm my declaration that Ifeanyi Ubah, the candidate of the YPP, is the winner of the Anambra South senatorial seat.”