The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Enugu State, Senator Ayogu Eze has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to include his name in the Saturday governorship elections as directed by an Abuja Appeal Court.
Briefing journalists in Enugu on Friday, Eze alleged that barely eight hours to the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission had yet to include his name in the race.
Eze alleged that the removal of his name from the INEC final list of governorship candidates for the election a few days before the election was a calculated attempt to punish him and create room for INEC’s preferred candidate and party.
“Even after the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the Federal High Court which formed the basis for INEC’s action, the commission has bluntly refused to add my name to the final list on the INEC official portal 24 hours after they were served the order of the court.”
He wondered why INEC was taking an apparently partisan position on a matter where they would otherwise have been impartial.
He alleged that the whole plan was designed to discourage his supporters and deny him victory.
Eze said that barely eight hours to the election his supporters were still confused whether they would participate in the election or not because of the development.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach Dr Emeka Ononamadu, the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner in Enugu State for reaction failed as his mobile phone was unreachable and he did not respond to messages sent to him.