The Rivers State chapter of African Action Congress (AAC) has stated its dissatisfaction over the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the collation of results for the governorship and state House of Assembly elections will be resumed and completed.
INEC had suspended the electoral process in Rivers State following widespread violence orchestrated by thugs and military involvements.
But INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, announced that the process would be completed. He maintained that the results from 17 local governments out of 23 were available with declared results for 21 state constituencies out of 32 before the process was suspended.
However, Publicity Secretary of AAC in Rivers State, Felix Enimini William, said his party considers the signal coming from INEC unacceptable.
According to him, “The African Action Congress in Rivers State condemns in its entirety the memo released into media space by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by midnight purporting that governorship and state assembly elections results were available for seventeen (17) LGAs.
“Sadly, we are curiously surprised and disappointed that INEC deliberately refused to name the 17 local government areas. As far as this information is concerned, it is manifestly false and the attempt to shroud the LGAs claimed to have results in secrecy is a serious step by INEC to sway the outcome of the process in favour of Governor Nyesom Wike, its preferred candidate.”
“We suspect that INEC might be working to surreptitiously bring in cooked up results credited to Obio/Akpor to skew the balance of reality of things in favour of Wike. We vehemently reject this and will resist it with every pint of blood in us.
“It is now clear to all that INEC has become deaf and blind to the fact that Governor Nyesom Wike invaded the Obio/Akpor collation centre and ordered his security men to shoot an Army Captain and another soldier providing perimeter security to the collation centre. The Captain and his colleague are still in hospital after undergoing serious surgery.
“We ask: Is it so difficult for INEC to name the 17 LGAs? If INEC has agreed and accepted that four collation officers are card-carrying members of PDP and INEC have now sanctioned them, what happens to the results they collated having not been qualified to do so ab initio?
“The AAC calls on INEC to stop its collaboration with Governor Nyesom Wike and the PDP. It must declare Engr. Biokpomabo Awara our governorship candidate winner of the March 9 governorship election as it was glaring that he was winning until INEC stepped in to halt the process apparently to save Wike from an earth-shaking defeat,” Williams noted.
Recall that Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) had thrown its support to AAC after losing bid to appear in the ballot.