The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Friday the Ward Congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State was characterized by “confusion and controversies.”

The Commission said in a report signed by its Administrative Secretary in the state, Barr. T.O.N. Ongele, that sensitive materials for the ward congress were missing.

INEC said: “The exercise was characterized in its entirety with confusion and controversies as reported by the officers that monitored the congress at the various wards and local government areas.

“The state Chairman of the party Dr. Hillary Ekeh, in his letter to the REC had indicated that the list of presiding officers, returning and electoral officers for the congress in the various wards will be duly submitted to the REC’s office few hours before the election.

“Given this, the Head of Election and Political Party Monitoring had requested all the EOs to report at the state office at Owerri by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning to collect all the relevant details expected to be provided by the state chairman as well as the checklist. At about 9:20 a.m. the REC put a call across to the Chairman of the Congress Committee, Chief Inibehe Okori, informing him that we were awaiting the list of contact persons.

“He confirmed that he was in a meeting with the governor and will get back to the REC as soon as he is through. When at 11:00 a.m. we did not receive the expected materials from either the state chairman or the Chairman of the Congress Committee, the EOs were directed to dispatch their staff to the field and to proceed to their respective LGAs for monitoring.

“It is pertinent to state that the ward congress in its entirety was characterized with contusion and controversies as reported by the officers that monitored the congress at the various wards and LGAs. At a point, we were told that the Congress Committee Panel that was posted to Imo State was swapped with that of Anambra State but no letter to that effect was received by the REC.

“In some of the LGAs, the INEC monitors reported that result sheets were not provided for the congresses and in some, electoral personnel were not seen. In some other instances, the INEC monitors were told on arrival that the congress had been concluded. In some other LGAs there was no evidence that the congress took place.

“The INEC document also contained reports from electoral officers that monitored the exercise across the state.

One of the EOs, Mr. Okike Emeka, in his report, said “the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Ward Congress scheduled to hold at the various wards in Isiala Mbano LGA on the 5th May 2018, was marred with controversies as reported by our staff that were at the various venues to monitor the 12 Wards in the LGA during the congress. There was no fixed time for the congress and this left most people in the dark.” (The Nation)

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