The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has moved the collation centre for the Imo North (Okigwe Zone) Senatorial election to their Headquarter in Owerri, Imo State capital.
The election is slated to hold on Saturday, 5 December, 2020
The final result would now be announced in Owerri, and instead of the Senatorial Zone where the previous two elections were collated.
Speaking to Newsmen, the INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voters Education, Festus Okoye said that the decision to move the collation centre to Owerri was “to forestall deliberate disruption of collation of election results in the Senatorial district”.
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Okoye said that INEC has put up more measures in making sure that the Saturday election ends with a winner emerging without further disruption of the results like before.
“The Commission has had very difficult experiences managing elections in the Imo North Senatorial District over years, particularly regarding attempts to disrupt collation of results” he said.
He said that all materials for the elections have arrived Imo State, as the most sensitive ones are in the Central Bank only for distribution on the election day.
Parties in the Okigwe election have intensified campaigns for the Saturday polls.
Candidates for the Okigwe Senate seat include the Chief Emma Okewulonu (PDP), Senator Ifeanyi Araraume (APC), Hon Patrick Ndubueze(Accord), Attorney Charles Onyirimba (APGA)and Others.
However APC is still in disunity over the real candidate of the party, as both Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and Chief Frank Ibezim are campaigning simultaneously for the APC slot.
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For over two years now, Okigwe Zone has no Senator as attempts to produce one after Benji Uwajumogu through a bye-election had ended in disorder causing INEC to now take the collation centre of the election to its Headquarter at the Imo State capital, Owerri.