Former Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, leads protest to INEC office in Enugu

No fewer than 5,000 protesters on Monday stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State over the outcome of the National Assembly elections. The protesters, mainly youths, were led by Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, a former Governor of Enugu State and senatorial candidate of PDC in Enugu East Senatorial zone. They alleged that the Senatorial and House of Representatives elections in which Sen. Gilbert Nnaji and Dr Emeka Ujam of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were respectively declared winners were rigged. The protesters relocated to Okpara Square at Independence Layout after they were dispersed with tear gas by security officers at the INEC office. Briefing newsmen on their grievances, Nnamani alleged that there were no elections in the whole of Enugu East Senatorial zone. “What happened in our area is completely unacceptable to us and this has inspired me. “Within the next 10 days, we are going to restructure the politics of Enugu State,” he said. Nnamani said that he won the senatorial election while Mr Nnoli Nnaji and other members of PDC won their contests for the House of Representatives positions. “I represent the Nkanu sub-clan of the Igbo nation and want to sit at the National Assembly to help restructure the current configuration of the country,” he said. He said that the results of the elections amounted to an attempt to breed mediocrity among the people and the Nigerian nation. Nnamani said that he was determined to reclaim his mandate in a lawful and peaceful manner. Attempts to get the reaction of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu, failed as he neither answered telephone calls made to him nor replied a text message sent to him. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters vowed to vote against the candidate of the PDP whom they had earlier adopted in the April 11 governorship election if the alleged irregularity was not corrected. NAN