The victory dance of the incumbent governor of Imo State and governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Rochas Okorocha, was cut short in the early hours of yesterday as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, while declaring the Imo State election result, said the poll was inconclusive.
Announcing the suspension of the process, the State Returning Officer, SRO, Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, explained that the action stemmed from the cancellation of 144,715 votes in various polling booths in about 23 local government areas.
Ibidapo-Obe also cited complaints of irregularities that emanated from several polling booths across the 305 wards of the state as part of reason for declaring the election inconclusive.
According to the SRO,  Owerri Municipal, Ideato South, Ideato North and Ahiazu Mbaise local government areas would not be subjected to another round of voting.
"All other local government areas had one type of infringement or the other," the SRO said.
"I shall not do any declaration. We have various cancellations in various units and wards. ''The affected polling units in the local governments totalled 144,715. The margin of lead from the two leading parties is 79,529, and because o this figure, this election is inconclusive," he said.
While Governor Okorocha said he was prepared to go for supplementary election, the state leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, accused INEC of reducing the scores of their flag-bearer, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, in the result collated and declared at Ezinihitte Mbaise.
He said: "In the case of Oru East Local Government Area, while stakeholders were anxiously expecting the result, the INEC-Electoral Officer, Mrs. Emmanuella Opara, confessed that she was kidnapped and taken to a secret location by agents of the APC candidate, where she was forced at gunpoint to enter fictitious figures.

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