Bye Election: Protest Sweeps Enugu over Alleged Substitution of the Original Result Sheets

Voters in communities set to have rerun elections in Enugu State on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction with the alleged substitution of the original result sheets designated for the by-elections by Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

SaharaReporters, which monitored the by-elections, documented widespread issues such as delayed arrival of materials and the absence of result sheets throughout the rerun elections across the state. Notably, only polling units with fewer than 20 voters received result sheets, prompting voters to reject participation until the results were provided.

At 9:30 am, supporters of the Labour Party (LP) initiated protests in Enugu, demanding the prompt provision of result sheets before the commencement of the election at Robinson Street, Uwani, Enugu, for the Enugu South Urban state constituency.

Similar situations unfolded in Igbo-Eze North LGA, where the by-election for Igbo-Eze North and Udenu Federal Constituency was scheduled, as voters in various communities insisted on the presence of original result sheets for the election to proceed.

Tension escalated when LP stakeholders and supporters learned of an alleged diversion of result sheets by the Electoral Commissioner and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Subsequently, protests erupted at Robinson Street, Uwani, Enugu, with LP supporters demanding the release of result sheets.

As LP supporters protested, their PDP counterparts claimed to have seen the result sheets, advocating for the election to proceed. The impasse continued until around 12 noon when the REC, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, addressed party agents, revealing that the original result sheets were lost, and he provided an alternative – a photocopy of the 2023 general elections result sheet.

Despite the REC’s attempt to proceed with the election using the replacement result sheets, LP agents vehemently rejected the proposal, emphasizing that conducting an election with a photocopy was unacceptable. They called for the cancellation of the election and the setting of a new date if INEC was not adequately prepared.

In Enugu-Ezike and Ubolo-Afor, 20 polling units across four wards lacked result sheets. As of 3:20 pm, voting had not commenced in many scheduled places in Enugu State, especially where voter turnout was substantial.

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