Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has faulted the independent Electoral Commission for declaring the state gubernatorial election inconclusive and announcing supplementary elections in some wards across the state.

Mr. Okorocha, who spoke to journalists at the Government House in Imo State early Monday, said the supplementary election would have been unnecessary if INEC had considered the number of Permanent Voters Card distributed in the affected areas instead of the number of registered voters.

INEC Returning Officer of the State, Ibidapo Obe, announced that the election was inconclusive because the margin (79,529) between the frontrunner, Mr. Okorocha and his contender, Emeka Ihedioha of Peoples Democratic Party, was less than the number of registered voters (144,715) in wards across the state where elections did not hold or were cancelled due to violence. He said a new date would be announced for a supplementary election.

Though Mr. Okorocha recognised the provision of the electoral law in respect of the number of registered voters, he said INEC should have considered distribution of PVC in the affected areas instead of registered voters as only voters with PVC can vote.

“The electoral act has talked about registered voters and in the workings of that act and in the spirit of the law, you cannot not make use of number of registered voters, you have to make use of number of PVC collected…”

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