Barr. C.O.C Akaolisa, a former Imo Attorney General and commissioner-designate, has refuted claims that he conceded to over-voting in the governorship election during his testimony at the ongoing Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Speaking to reporters in Owerri on Monday, Akaolisa dismissed the allegations as “PDP propaganda.” He clarified that his statement only addressed the potential for discrepancies between the final BVAS report and the initial accreditation sheets (form EC8D).
“There may be people who are accredited and may not vote,” Akaolisa explained. “Ordinarily the report of BVAS should be the same with that of the accreditation report but because of those who were accredited and did not vote, there is no way the results can be the same.”
Akaolisa further argued that recent rulings in the Obi vs Tinubu and Oyetola vs Adeleke cases established the need for BVAS data to reconcile with accreditation reports for a conclusive vote count. He criticized the PDP for failing to present any BVAS machines in court.
“They have failed,” Akaolisa declared. “The Supreme Court has said that it is not the reports that determine the accreditation report, it is the BVAS machine and the voter’s register and not the back end server’s report that you will know accreditation.”
Akaolisa also addressed claims about the principal of Governor Uzodimma’s alleged school denying his attendance. He categorically denied the principal’s involvement in such a statement, asserting that she “took them on and gave a very good account of herself.”
Akaolisa concluded by urging the public to disregard what he called the “normal propaganda of Imo PDP.” His comments suggest a confident defense strategy aiming to counter specific points raised by the PDP’s petition.
