Ebonyi State, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Godswill Obioma, yesterday, opened up on the N300 million bribe he allegedly collected by the commission in the state under his watch to rig the election in the state.
All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in the 2019 General Elections, Comrade Chinedu Ogah had alleged that Prof. Obioma collected the amount and reduced votes of President Muhammadu Buhari and himself at the polls.
Recall that an NGO had petitioned Special Presidential Investigative Panel (SPIP) in Abuja, over Ogah’s allegation where Obioma was invited by the panel, interrogated and released but the REC said he was still under investigation over the N300million allegation.
Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, Obioma, who denied the allegation and described it as falsehood confirmed that he has made useful statements to the SPIP over the matter. He said, “I don’t have to make statement on a matter before a panel but I just want to clarify an issue. My attention was drawn to a statement made by Chinedu Ogah that I took a bribe of N300million.
“I didn’t receive any bribe and I couldn’t have received it. As an INEC REC, I carried out my duty free and fair. I am not partisan, so I did not receive any bribe. I was invited following this allegation and I made statement and the panel is investigating the authenticity of that petition.
“If I was arrested, would you have spoken to me? SPIP actually invited me over the allegation of N300million bribe and asked me to make statement. They are re- inviting me and they are still making investigations and as much as they invite me, I will go and make further statements on the matter.
“To the best of my knowledge, that allegation stated that PDP in connivance with INEC is trying to falsify results, to split the votes of Mr. President and some APC candidates that are challenging results of the polls before the tribunal.
“The allegation is also against one of my staff that was alleged to have collected some money to carry out such activity. We have been invited by the SPIP and we have made useful statements.”
He alleged that results of two polling units in Ikwo LGA and 20 polling units in Ezza South were mutilated and that the commission petitioned the police over the matter
“Regarding the mutilation of results, we discovered through a petition that some results were mutilated. Results of 20 polling units from Ezza South and two from Ikwo LGA were submitted by the Eos from our office weeks after the results were announced.
