Opposition alleges plot to declare Ohakim winner.

By Festus Owete

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) at the weekend said the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to not declare the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Rochas Okorocha as the winner of the election in Imo State, is part of a plot to hand over victory to Mr Okorocha's Peoples Democratic Party counterpart and governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim.

The group said Nigerians will hold the INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega responsible if any problem erupts in the state.

According to the results declared after the election last Tuesday, Mr Okorocha polled the highest number of votes and secured 25 percent in 18 out of the 27 local government areas in the state. However, INEC declared the exercise inconclusive and ordered fresh polls in three local government areas, namely the Ngor Okpala, Ohaji Egbema, Oguta, Mbaitoli and Orji wards.

The CNPP national publicity secretary, Osita Okechukwu said in Abuja that the non-declaration of Okorocha as winner is a tacit award of the governorship to Mr Ohakim.

The coalition of opposition parties argued that if it was the governor that polled the highest number of votes in the 22 councils where results were declared, the commission would have instantly announced him the winner of the election.

It said that INEC should have cancelled the controversial results of the affected areas and declared the rest of the results.

"We're still as a loss on how INEC descended into the arena, instead of cancelling, as it did in Bauchi State, the controversial results of the affected areas and declared results, to accommodate the 30 days stipulated in the 2010 Electoral Act, INEC invented supplementary election, a stranger to the law," the CNPP said.

"We have searched for the much-flaunted integrity of the new INEC leadership and their returning officers and by end of the day, it is becoming illusory as evidenced by the Imo State governorship confusion," Mr Okechukwu said.

"We had thought that Professor Jega and co are in a better position to appreciate the danger of one-party state in liberal democracy and hence advance the frontiers of multi-party democracy. This is not the case, as they seem to have played into the hands of pro-one party state."