A non-partisan body, Abia Frontiers (AF), has called on the appropriate authorities to prosecute Senator Mao Ohaubunwa of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for allegedly committing electoral fraud during the 2019 National Assembly election.
The group and its chairman, Chief Adams Njoku, made the call at a press conference on Saturday.
The development came on the heels of the September 9, 2019 verdict of the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, which nullified the election of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and incumbent Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu as senator representing Abia North Senatorial District.
The three-man tribunal, led by Justice Cornelius Akintayo, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days in eight wards in Arochukwu Local Government Area, as well as several polling units in Ohafia and Isukwuato LGAs where votes were cancelled during senatorial poll in Abia North Senatorial District.
Senator Kalu, publisher of The Sun newspapers, won the election and was declared duly elected by the INEC. But his PDP opponent, Mao Ohuabunwa of the PDP, headed to the tribunal to challenge the decision.
But as the people of Abia North Senatorial District wait on the INEC to fix a date for the re-run, and as Kalu’s fans continue to express optimism of a resounding victory for their man any time the poll is conducted, the Abia Frontiers has accused Ohuabunwa, the then incumbent senator and PDP candidate in the poll of committing massive electoral fraud.
Specifically, the group accused of Ohuabunwa of instructing his police details, Inspector Michael Antai and Sergeant Okwudiri Ndukauba, to snatch sensitive election materials from INEC officials on their way to delivering same to INEC office in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State during the National Assembly election of February 23, 2019.
Ohuabunwa, who was thereafter arrested, interrogated and released on bail at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Abia State, filed an application before a Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, with suit number, HU/25M/2019.
But the presiding judge, Justice C. C Thomas Adiele threw out the case on June 3, 2019.
Chairman of the protesting Abia Frontiers group, Chief Adams Njoku, also alleged that Ohuabunwa sent his men to waylay INEC officials at College of Education Road, Arochukwu, before the election materials were hijacked and transferred to a black Hilux van purportedly owned by the former senator, and the men zoomed off.
While addressing journalists at the press conference, Njoku stressed that a competent court of law, a court with lawful jurisdiction had dismissed the suit that Ohuabunwa filed against the Nigeria Police Force, on alleged infringement of his fundamental rights, the police should check alleged “excesses” of ex-Senator Ohuabunwa “to prevent him from causing mayhem in future.”
“We are surprised with the judgement of the tribunal,” Njoku began at the conference. “During the National Assembly election, Ohuabunwa was responsible for snatching electoral materials with the assistance of his police details and thugs.
“There are copious evidence to prove this. It is not a frivolous allegation. The judgement is not only worrisome and unfortunate, it is also biased in its entirety, therefore totally unacceptable.
“We are optimistic that the appellate court will review the position of the lower court and correct the anomaly.”
Njoku urged the Nigeria Police Force to transfer the case of electoral fraud against Ohuabunwa from the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Abuja to State Criminal and Investigation Department (SCID) Abia State for continuation of investigation.
He then charged the electorate to shun violence and social vices during and after the supplementary poll.
