NO PETITION FILED AGAINST ENUGU ELECTIONS, SAYS CHIME

By NBF News

By Tony Edike
ENUGU- GOVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State said that the fact that no petition has been filed challenging the conduct of the April 2011 elections at the state Election Petitions Tribunal has confirmed that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC conducted credible elections in the state.

Speaking during the presentation of Certificate of Return to him as the Governor-elect of the state as well as to the elected members of the National and State Assembly from the state, Chime expressed gratitude to INEC for ensuring transparency in the conduct of the elections.

He said that no petition had been filed at the tribunal challenging his election so far while those filed against the National Assembly elections in Enugu North Senatorial zone were based on pre-election matters which had nothing to do with the conduct of the election proper.

'We cannot thank INEC enough for a job well done.  This election had been acclaimed to be the best so far held in this country.  From the 50s when first elections were held in Nigeria, this had been the best.  We have heard all sorts of testimonies from voters, people who were excited casting their votes knowing fully well their votes will cast and I thank God that in the end they were not disappointed.

'If you look at the petitions filed it is a reflection of what happened during the elections.  The time of filing petitions against the return of National Assembly candidates has elapsed and so far not even one election petition was filed in respect of Enugu East Senatorial zone.

And in respect of other zones, in the North not one of the petitions filed is challenging the conduct of the election; they are talking of pre-election matters, whether or not we were the proper candidates.  Let us not go into that because the court will certainly deal with that.  Nobody is challenging the conduct of the elections and I believe it says a lot about INEC and we are so grateful that we are part of this,' the governor said.

Chime expressed gratitude to the people of the state for their overwhelming support to him and other Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidates during the elections, and noted that the victory at the polls was in appreciation of the impressive performance of his administration in its first four years in office.