Imo West Election: INEC Has No Power To Withhold My Certificate Of Return – Okorocha

The Imo state Governor Rochas Okorocha has said that the Independent National electoral commission (INEC) has no power to withhold his certificate of return for Imo West Senatorial District after declaring the result.

Okorocha who expressed his grievances again at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, asked the electoral body to issue the certificate before the June 2019 Inauguration of the Ninth Assembly, because it lacked the constitutional powers to withhold it.

“What is important is, INEC doesn’t have the power to withhold the certificate of return having declared the result because both the certificate of return and the declaration is just one subject matter; just that the other one is a ceremony because results have been declared.

“Last week I wrote a letter to INEC officially for the first time myself, informing them about their wrongdoings and illegal actions taken to withhold my certificate on a mere allegation of duress, which was never founded, neither was there any committee set up to investigate the matter.

“INEC on their own, believe the report by their returning officer without investigating the authenticity of such allegation. So there was no issue of fair hearing at all to have asked me whether I actually committed the offence that their person alleged.”

The Governor who hopes to become the Senator representing the people of Imo West Senatorial District urged INEC to act beyond the allegation of duress and try to investigate the matter.