Governor Rochas Okorocha has said that if defeated in Saturday’s governorship election in Imo State, he will congratulate whoever emerges the winner.
He stated this while speaking with journalists after casting his vote at Ogboko Ward 2 in Ideato South Local Government Area of the state.
“I will congratulate whoever wins the election. Why not? But, first, let us do things properly,” Okorocha said.
The governor, who claimed that the card reader failed to capture his fingerprints during the accreditation process, commended the state branch of the Independent National Electoral Commission for the smooth conduct of the election.
He said, “So far, the election has been quite peaceful, especially in Ogboko Ward 2 where I voted. As we would expect, this is a violence-free area in the history of Imo State politics. There has never been any record of violence here.
But this cannot be said about places that are notorious for election violence, such as Mbutu in Aboh-Mbaise LGA.
“I have heard about political thugs hired by some politicians to cause mayhem in some polling units. The same thing is going on at places like Ohaji-Egbema, Oguta, Ezinihite and Ngo-Okpala, to mention a few. We must condemn election violence in all ramifications.”
The governor called for a judicial panel to look into the causes of election crises in some parts of the state.
He also commended the security agencies for their role in the elections.
“I learnt that some people in fake military and police uniforms, as well as a man found with AK47 rifles, were arrested by security men. If such arrests had happened during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections, things would have been much better.”
Source: PunchNg
