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Anambra Senatorial Tussle: 'You are a fake INEC
returning officer'-Akunyili fires back
Newsdiaryonline.com Mon April
11,2011
Mr. Alex Anene, the purported INEC returning officer for Anambra
Central Senatorial Zone who alleged that he was being pressured
to rig Saturday's election in favour of Prof. Dora Akunyili, is
an impostor acting out the script of Akunyili's main rival,
Dr.Chris Ngige.
"The returning officer for Anambra Central Senatorial Zone
during the election was Prof. Charles Esimone, Dean, College of
Pharmacy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka," said Prof. Akunyili,
the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) senatorial candidate
who is locked in a supremacy battle with Ngige of the Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN). "Anene is a fake INEC returning
officer who has made himself a willing tool in the hands of a
drowning and desperate politician," Akunyili said in a statement
signed by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Isaac Umunna.
Unmasking Alex Anene, who is the Chief Accountant of Nnamdi
Azikiwe University, Awka, Akunyili said: "Alex Anene was
initially recruited by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to serve as the returning officer for Anambra
Central during the April 9 National Assembly elections. On that
Saturday morning - the day of the elections - the police in Awka
stopped him in a vehicle and, upon searching him and those with
him in the vehicle, found fake INEC identity cards on them.
"The police took all of them to the station and detained them.
When Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu, the Resident Electoral
Commissioner for Anambra State, heard about it, he went and
bailed Anene in order to enable him to do the job for which he
was hired by INEC. But rather than do so, Anene absconded and
was replaced with Prof. Charles Esimone, Dean, College of
Pharmacy of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, who eventually
served as the returning officer for Anambra Central during the
polls.
"Unfortunately, the next thing we heard was that Ngige took
Anene to a hotel to say that Ngige won the election and that
unnamed agents working for APGA had offered him (Anene) N10m, a
duplex and scholarship for his wards to declare me the winner of
the election.
"Anene is a fake returning officer publishing fake election
results. He and his paymasters should be disregarded. I appeal
to journalists to act professionally and give accused persons
the opportunity to defend themselves before going to press. This
is important so as to avoid becoming willing tools in the hands
of desperate politicians intent on heating up the system having
failed in their bid to actuaise their political ambitions at the
polls."
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