From Charles Onyekamuo, Awka
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for the Anambra Central senatorial district in the March 28 National Assembly election, Chief Victor Umeh, at the weekend filed a petition at the Legislative Assembly Tribunal sitting in Awka to challenge the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election, Hon. Uche Ekwunife, as senator-elect.
Umeh said in a petition number EPT/AWK/5/16/2015, and which was submitted to the secretary of the tribunal, Josephine Ekperobe at about 6p.m. on Saturday, that though he was not desperate to go to the senate, he had to file the petition in order not to disappoint his numerous supporters who voted for him on the election day most of whom have been calling and visiting him since after the election, saying they were convinced that he was the actual winner of the election going by field results.
He told journalists shortly after filing his petition, that he had done everything required, including paying the security cost to qualify him to file his petition, adding that he was in the petition asking the tribunal to declare him the winner of March 28, 2015 National Assembly election for Anambra Central Senatorial zone, since according to him, he won the election, claiming that Ekwunife was fraudulently declared the winner.
He also said that he went to the tribunal to preserve due process and democratic tenets as well as protect APGA, which he reasoned has allegedly been an unabashed victim of several electoral frauds, adding that he has implicit confidence in the ability of the tribunal to do justice in his matter.
Umeh said his petition was filed five days after collecting the Certified True Copy of the INEC election result and urged his supporters and all APGA members in the state to remain calm and look up to God for His divine intervention.
According to the APGA chairman, it is only by challenging injustice and electoral fraud that a good society could be built, even as he said huge electoral fraud and manipulation were meted out to the entire South-east in the March 28 and April 11, 2015 elections.
