Coalition Accuses Okorocha Of Electoral Fraud

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  • Demands ex-Gov’s trial

BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – A civil society organization, Coalition for the Advancement of Good Governance (CAGG) says former Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, must face trial for alleged electoral fraud during the 2019 general elections.

The Coalition said instead of promoting his dubious claims that Governor Emeka Ihedioha did not win the Imo State governorship polls, Senator Okorocha should have been prosecuted for impinging on the integrity of the last elections in the state.

Briefing the press in Abuja on Friday, CAGG said; “For a man that smuggled himself through the backdoor as Senator to continue to impugn on the ability of the INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections shows how low some people can go.

“What ‘Senator’ Okorocha has simply told Nigerians, we already know anyway, that he never won any elections”, the Coalition said

Spokesperson of the CAGG, James Okoronkwo, called on “INEC to show example of all those who worked hard to discredit the last election such as ‘Senator’ Okorocha and prefer criminal electoral charges against them.

“The failure of the electoral body to do this greatly undermines its ability to deliver, free, fair and credible elections and gives electoral brigands the impetus to carry out their impunity against electoral officers such as suffered by the Returning Officer for the Imo West Senatorial Election, Professor Innocent Ibeawuchi.”

According to Okoronkwo, ‘Senator’ Rochas Okorocha is yet to come to terms with the fact that the good people of Imo state rejected his attempt to install his son-in-law and create an Okorocha Dynasty in an egalitarian state such as Imo.

“Since the former governor is full persuaded that His Excellency Governor Emeka Ihedioha did not win the election that brought him into office, he should simply have represented his son-in-law at the tribunals rather than engaging in this theatre of the absurd.

“Also, for a man that is under criminal investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the mindless plunder of Imo State, he should be rather beg Imolites for their forgiveness and make restitutions for his crimes against today and posterity of Imo state.”

CAGG therefore urged Governor Ihedioha to remain focused in his commitment and drive to reposition the state for socio-economic growth and development; restore the lost confidence of Imolites; recover all stolen public property from officials and family members of immediate past administration as well as stay focused on effective service delivery to the state.

The coalition comprises the Peoples’ Alliance for Indigenous Rights, Network for Transparency (NET) and Society for Equity and Inclusion (SEI)

Owelle Okorocha is the senator currently representing Imo West Senatorial district at the 9th Nigerian Senate. The former governor’s certificate of return was initially withheld by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the February 23, 2019 National Assembly polls.

The electoral umpire maintained that the Returning Officer, in declaring the results of that elections, had claimed to be doing so under duress.

On the inauguration of the ninth (9th) Senate, Mr Okorocha, who was available for the ceremony was not sworn in following INEC’s insistence on not issuing the certificate despite a court order to that effect.

However, INEC later made a u-turn on the matter by issuing the former Governor his certificate of return with a vow to appeal the court ruling.

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