By Blessing Amudo,
Director General of Joel Onowakpo Thomas Campaign Organisation, Pastor Silas Bouwe has lambasted the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for declaring the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Leo Ogor as the winner of the just concluded National Assembly election for Isoko federal constituency.
Speaking after the declaration, Silas Bouwe said, “It is an abuse of power for Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to declare a winner in an election were over 40,000 electorate were disenfranchised.
He said, “One of the provisions of the electoral is that where the total number of voters in areas where elections are cancelled or did not hold, INEC ought to declare a supplementary election.
“At Olomoro Ward 6, and Umeh/Erowah Ward 8, elections were cancel and it was case of abuse of power because INEC has no power to cancel election where it ought to be declare inconclusive mostly in Umeh/ Erowah Ward 8.
“The number of voters disenfranchised in those wards were more than the numbers that was used to declare the PDP candidate which is against the electoral Act.
“Elections were held in 4 Units of Umeh but due to violence in Erowah, INEC officials came back to Umeh with security agents and we have to return the electoral materials from Erowah back to INEC office at Oleh.
According to Bouwe, “The condition under wish an election can be cancel is where there irregularities or any problem and there was no violence, was no gun shot by security agencies, there was no fight, no harassment, the atmosphere was normal, the people voted and went home peacefully, so there was no reason to for the cancellation of Umeh.
“The fact remains that what transpired as far as am concerned was an exercise in futility in the sense that you cannot put something on nothing because when you put something on nothing, it is bound to collapse. What they have done cannot stand a test of time”. Bouwe said.
