The Women Development Movement - Bende Chapter, submits that the election held on the 25th of February, 2023; was a farce.
This assessment focuses on issues relating to the function and transparency of the voting technology, disinformation about the use of the systems provided, and the legal framework governing the use of the current voting technology.
Bende Local Government is one of the largest local governments in Abia state and is renowned as the food basket of Abia State due to her Agrarian prowess, reiterating the importance of her role in all of Abia State. Hence, the people of Bende cannot be cowed in expressing their dissatisfaction over the elections in ways that will hamper their economic activities.
As such, this press release focuses on Reconciliation and Justice, and is also targeted to urgently address the following issues surrounding the unsatisfactory outcome of the results which affected their preferred candidate:
1). The whole electoral process was faulty.
2). Materials couldn't get to all the polling units on time.
3). Some of the BVAS was faulty and could not provide optimal performances
4). INEC did not provide logistics and Transportation for all the polling units and so some polling units in different wards were disenfranchised.
5). Bende experienced physical thuggery and most people ran away in fear for their lives, in otherwords negating the free and fair election promised by INEC.
6). Results were not uploaded immediately after the votes were counted. They claimed there were network issues and they left with both the results and duplicates and uploaded results we suspect to be fake after 24 hours.
7). Inec took results with Bvas away without announcing winners at the polling units.
8). There was no ward collation of results.
9). There was over-voting in a lot of areas.
10). The alleged Result declaration was done without the candidates or their DG or the Party Collation agent. To prove this, the column where LP was supposed to sign is still vacant.
11). The declaration of the result and calling out the alleged winner was done in the absence of the INEC supervisor and The LG Returning Officer.
It was the EO (Electoral Officer) who made the declaration of the results that produced the alleged winner.
The good people of Bende deserve a transparent government that seeks to address the pressing political, economic, and social issues that prompt the quest for better leadership.
Bende leaders must deliver on these aspirations and return Bende to the democratic path it has embarked on.
It is important to note that a flawed system will generate distrust and increase the propensity of violence in an otherwise peaceful constituency, which will produce a ripple effect of further economic recession.
Moving Forward: The forum commends the voters, civil society, and domestic and international observer organizations for their democratic engagement throughout the electoral process. It encourages key leaders to ensure a lawful transition of power and urges the good people of Bende to come together to overcome social division and advance their common future.
God Bless Bende
God Bless Abia State
God Bless The Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Signed.
Mrs. Chinechetam Chilasa Mbah
(Spokeswoman)
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