The Ebonyi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Pauline Onyeka Ugochi has reportedly declared the Returning Officer for Ezza North/Ishielu Federal Constituency, Professor Paul Obidike ‘wanted’ for allegedly disappearing with already collated, signed and stamped election results for the Federal Constituency.
Obidike, a lecturer in the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo was alleged to have ‘disappeared’ with already signed and stamped results from Ebiaji, Ezza North Local Government Area headquarters, the collation and result announcement centre for the Federal Constituency to an unknown destination.
An APGA agent, Marcel Nwokpor who was at the Local Government Area told newsmen in an interview that the academic stormed out of the area without any reason or explanations while they were all waiting for him to announce the results.
The source alleged that they alerted authorities of INEC that the whereabouts of the Returning Officer was unknown and they promised to reach him and get back to them.
“After a long wait, we sought for his phone number and called him but he denied being the Returning Officer. When we challenged him that his name and particulars are clearly published on the list of retuning officers, he quickly switched off his phone number: 08035067419. We are right now still waiting for him since morning when we last saw him here”.
Another source claimed that the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner Mrs Pauline Onyeka has consequently declared the Returning Officer ‘wanted’ for disappearing with the said results.
It would be recalled that there have been public outcry over alleged attempts to falsify figures in Umuhuali and other electoral wards in Ishielu Local Government Area of the State and Ikwo Local Government Area of the same Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress by some allegedly compromised INEC staff and security agents.