How I was threatened, pressurised to manipulate results – Abia INEC Returning Officer Oti

Prof. Nnenna Oti, the Returning Officer in the Abia State governorship election for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has revealed that she was offered financial incentives to manipulate the election results.

Before Alex Oti was declared governor-elect last Wednesday, INEC temporarily suspended collation of the results for Obingwa Local Government Area (LGA), causing consternation among the electorate and stakeholders in the state.

Oti, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, made the announcement on Tuesday while being welcomed by the university’s management, staff, and students.

She stated that before the final declaration of the result, she was promised huge monetary inducement to change the will and mandate of the people of Abia but that she remained resolute in the face of heavy intimidation and threats.

“As an electoral officer, I have never in my life participated in any election, but duty came calling, I made my enquiries from Abuja,” Oti said.

“If I perish, I perish, they came with their threats, they came with their money, they came with their intimidation.

She stated that she stood on her ideals and principles not to short-change anyone and ensured that the will of the people of Abia prevailed and that their votes counted during the election.

“I didn’t start today; I stand here before God, Jesus Christ. I have never defrauded anyone, all l I did was to declare the riot act as follows: Under me, votes must count. Under me, the people’s mandate will be upheld because I, Professor Nnnena Oti, can never do evil,” she said.

The declared results by the returning officer saw the labour party (LP) candidate, Alex Otti totalling 175,467 to Okey Ahiwe and Enyinnaya Nwafor scoring 88,529 and 28,972 respectively.