RIVERS ELECTION: Don’t allow Amaechi push you into unconstitutional acts, PDP warns Malami

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami SAN, not allow himself to pushed into any unconstitutional acts in the final collation of results of the governorship and state assembly elections in Rivers State.

This is as the party alleged that the minister is involved in plots hatched by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to scuttle the collation of the results.

The PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday, also noted that the AGF has no role to play in the electoral process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has Tuesday for the continuation of collation of results in Rivers State after initially suspending the process due to widespread violence.

The statement reads in part: “The party alerts Nigerians that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has been boastfully claiming that the AGF was working on a script whereupon he will write to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to direct him to stop the collation of results.

“Our party urges the AGF to note that there is no provision of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) or any part of the Electoral Act 2010 (as Amended) that, in anyway, empowers the AGF to interfere or stop the process of election, until declaration of result is made.

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“It is imperative for the AGF to note that Rotimi Amaechi, in his desperation, will want to rope him in and use him to cause a constitutional crisis that has the capacity to derail our democracy.

“The constitution and laws of our nation are clear on the powers and statutory functions of the Attorney General and that he has no powers to interfere in the conduct of elections or direct the stoppage of an electoral process.

“The AGF should therefore distance himself from the ignoble scheme by Rotimi Amaechi to cause trouble in Rivers state by attempting to scuttle the collation of results in the Rivers governorship election, which has been clearly won by the PDP and Governor Nyesom Wike.

“The PDP also charges INEC to save the nation a serious crisis by asserting its independence in concluding the collation process as well as respecting the will of the people, as expressed at the polls on March 9, by declaring Governor Nyesom Wike as rightful winner of the election without further delay.”

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