The Independent National Electoral Commission has refused to issue certificate of return to governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha as senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District.
Okorocha had been alleged to have ‘forcefully’ asked an INEC official to declare him winner of his Senatorial district contest. The incident angered INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu who said that any candidate that forced it’s official to announce him or her winner in an election will not be given a certificate of return.
True to the word of the INEC chairman, Okorocha was not given certificate of return during the ceremony held on Thursday at International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Earlier, INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said the commission would continue to work with members of the National Assembly to review the electoral laws ahead of the 2023 general elections. Yakubu who urged all the senators elect to work ahead of time in reforming the electoral laws, said vital lesson learned from one elections to another are lost if the reforms comes very close to another general elections.
Without certificate of return, it means that the election has not been validated. But while distributing certificate of return to elected Senators from the South-East, INEC National Commissioner, Prof Okechukwu Ibeanu only announced Francis Uzenwa Onyewuchi as the only Senator elect for Imo state.
Francis Uzenwa Onyewuchi will represent the people of Imo East senatorial district at the red chamber.
Okoracha prior to today ceremony has challenged INEC of illegality over steps being taken not to give him a certificate of return.
He described the electoral body’s decision to withhold his certificate as part of efforts aimed at making him irrelevant ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
He added, “My INEC certificate cannot be touched or seized. Doing so is belittling democracy in Nigeria.
“It is only the tribunal that has the right to say otherwise once a result is declared.
“INEC cannot seize my certificate because of a mere petition written by somebody in a case I was not given the opportunity to present my own side of the story.”
