Abia State governorship election Presiding Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Professor Nnenna Oti, has just arrived at the INEC collation centre to resume collation of the governorship election results.
She arrived at exactly 4:25 pm and assumed her seat at the high table, the Vanguard reports.
Heads of security agencies and other stakeholders have been curiously awaiting her arrival for the resumption of the exercise originally scheduled for 4:00pm.
The stage is set for the resumption of the collation of Abia State governorship election results, which was suspended on Monday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, following allegations of over-voting in Obingwa Local Government Area.
Following the suspension, INEC said it’s national commissioners from Abuja would visit Abia to review the disputed results.
As the commissioners were being awaited, the electoral umpire later directed the Presiding Officer, Professor Nnenna Oti, and the Administrative Secretary, Clement Oha, to proceed to Abuja with the disputed results.
INEC, after ironing out issues with the disputed results, Wednesday morning, announced that collation would resume at the Collation Centre located inside its office in Umuahia.
Security
The collation centre was filled with newsmen and a few party representatives with an army of security operatives strategically positioned around the INEC facility, while awaiting the arrival of the Presiding Officer and other stakeholders.
All the roads leading to the INEC office had earlier been cordoned off by heavily armed security agents as traffic was also being diverted to alternative routes.
Anxiety has continued to mount across the state as the final declaration of the result is being awaited.
The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Dr Alex Otti, already has over 92,000 votes ahead of other candidates.
Results of 16 local government areas have been declared remaining only the controversial Obingwa council.
