Mascot Kalu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the just concluded Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency by-election has accused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP of rigging the election.
He alleged that the PDP flooded the area with over 20,000 thugs who intimidated officials of the APC but added that he will not challenge the outcome of the election in court.
Mascot in a statement he personally signed and made available to Standard Observers on Sunday, however, urged his supporters to accept the outcome of the election in good faith.
Read the statement in full
The March 27, 2021, Aba North and Aba South Federal Constituency by-election is over, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC), we appeal to our members to accept the outcome of the elections in good faith while appreciating them for making the Party stronger in Abia.
While the opposition wanted the election at all cost, we chose life over bloodshed and therefore won lives and lost the polls. To us, that was a greater victory.
The level of thuggery, violence and rigging that occurred in the election calls for a deeper review of our electoral laws. Every country is peculiar to its people, all Nigerian should support the electoral laws that are being amended as it would assist us in getting our democracy strengthened. The electoral laws as it is renders the security agencies with arms weak in the face of violence at the polls and therefore needs a revisit. Granted that the armless police should be inside the polling units, the armed should be within fifty meters away from the units.
Our opponents flooded the city with thugs numbering over 20, 000. Traders were threatened with text messages to keep away or lose their lives.
My campaign officers and our Party agents were kidnapped, even the Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Prof Joseph Iloh was manhandled by thugs at the Aba polytechnics.
We campaigned vigorously and Aba people were expectant of improvement from what the late Ossy Prestige of blessed memory did. My only concern is that Aba people lost. They lost a quality representation and chance to have added infrastructures in Aba.
We were winning in more than 65 polling units and they kept using thugs to harass the INEC officials and scare our voters. Our voters ran for their lives. In a city with over 400,000 voting strength, less than 15,000 votes were recorded in the entire election.
I commend the INEC and security agents who were overwhelmed and I congratulate them for their services and the risk they took to protect the citizens.
I also thank the National Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Committee, His Excellency, Gov.Mai Mala Buni and all our party faithful for their support in the election.
Even though we have enough evidence to reclaim our mandate, we won’t be going to the court. This is to allow the declared winner to concentrate and provide good representation and infrastructure to the good people of Aba.
Once again I thank the Aba people for coming out en masse to vote for the APC and I congratulate the winner, Chimaobi Ebisike and the PDP, not because they won but because it’s gentleman to do so.
