By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has warned the incumbent governors of Enugu and Imo States, Gov Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to retreat and allow the genuine people's votes in the two states to conscientiously count.

It expressed dismay over the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delays in announcing the Governorship results in the two states.

According to Intersociety, the delays is born out of the desperation of the affected states' Incumbents to retain governorship seats of the two states by hook or crook, hence, they have resorted to thuggery, brigandage, result padding and suppression in targeted local government areas so as to mangle the true results from the living votes lawfully cast by conscientious voters in the two States.

The rights group handed out the warning in a statement signed by the duo of Emeka Uneagbalasi, Board Chairman at Intersociety and Barr Chidinma Udegbunam, Head of Publicity atIntersociety and made available to News Express said: “INEC in the two States must announce the results as they ought to be and not as doctored or padded.

“In Abia State, for instance, the desperate Abia State Incumbents have resorted to thuggery and propaganda so as to smuggle in over-bloated fixed results from Obingwa Local Government Area.

“In Enugu State, results from the likes of Nkanu-East, etc, are being, if not already smuggled in and padded to oust the numerical strength of the total genuine results of the poll from the State's 18 LGAs.

“The Governorship poll in the two States has also been mired in dichotomy and primordial politics rather than allowing the independent voters to conscientiously decide and vote candidates of their choice in accordance with the international best practices.

“Intersociety hereby makes bold to say that we are watching and warning the two State Incumbents to retreat and allow the genuine people's votes in Abia and Enugu to popularly and conscientiously count.

“INEC in the two States must announce the results as they ought to be and not as doctored or padded.”

Intersociety further warned that if the sacred electoral mandates of the People of Abia and Enugu States are toyed or tampered with by the electoral umpire and the two desperate states' Incumbents at the state Collation Centers, the Electoral and Public Tribunals will be beckoned upon by democratic forces including Intersociety to retrieve them in no distant future.

It stressed that tampering with original results collated is also an invitation to post Governorship the polls' social disequilibrium and uncertainties in the two States and beyond.

•Logo of Intersociety