THE vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, has attributed the victory of Labour Party (LP) flagbearer Peter Obi in the South-East and South-South regions to ethnic and religious sentiments.
The Delta State governor stated this on Monday, March 13, while reacting to the outcome of the disputed presidential poll which Bola Tinubu of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) was announced winner.
Okowa said: “A lot of factors contributed to the sweeping victory of Obi in South-South and South-East.
“The agitation that the Presidency should come to the Southern part of the country, religion and Igbo presidency are key factors.
“The Obidient movement is a movement that swept across the South-South and South-East. The people wanted Obi as a change. They believe it is the turn of South-East.”
According to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the LP presidential candidate won in all the five southeastern states of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Anambra.
He also won in Okowa’s Delta state, as well as Cross River and Edo in the South-South region of the country.
However, Okowa faulted the conduct of the presidential election by INEC.
“I believe that people have exercised their rights in a democratic process but INEC did not follow the Electoral Act.”
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Both PDP and LP are challenging the result announced by INEC.
The PDP had accused INEC of “criminal manipulation and alteration of election results” in favour of the APC.
Also, spokesperson for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, (PCC) Yunusa Tanko in a press statement issued last week said LP had “lost confidence in INEC’s capacity to conduct a free and fair election”.
Sinafi Omanga works as a multimedia and investigative reporter at the International Centre for Investigative Reporting - ICIR. He has a keen interest in accountability, health and environmental issues.
Twitter handle:
@OmangaSinafi
Email:
somanga@icirnigeria.org