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Rivers PDP accuses APC, Abe of plot to print fake INEC result sheets (Video)

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Rivers PDP accuses APC, Abe of plots to print fake INEC result sheets (Video)

Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr Magnus Abe of printing fake Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) result sheet to rig the coming rerun polls in the state.

This is coming after police in the state were said to have, on tip off by a concerned citizen, besieged a printing press, Help-Mate Consult, located at 12 Isiokpo Street D-Line Port Harcourt, for printing fake result sheets for seven local government areas listed for the December 10 rerun election as announced by INEC.

During the raid, Mr Magnus Abe, the Rivers South-East APC candidate for the rerun elections was allegedly arrested along with Director of Help-Mate Consult, Atonye Peters, said to be a notable member of the APC from Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area and three of his staff, Richard Koko from Okrika, Nanee Godday from Khana and Tammy Garrick.

Atonye Peters had claimed in the video that the printing contract was awarded to him by Mr Emma Chinda, an APC leader and former Commissioner for Agriculture under Rotimi Amaechi. The printing press was said to have already finished two sets for two local government areas before the police got wind of the illegal act.

Items allegedly recovered by the police at the printing press include State-of-the-art Printing Machine, computers, INEC Result Sheets, Serial Number Booklets, which the printer used to authenticate the result sheets.

While the police in Rivers State are yet to make an official statement on the event, however, the Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Felix Obuah, in an interview with newsmen, said the arrest of the fake printers of rerun elections result sheets has vindicated estlier reports that there had been plans by INEC and APC to rig the forthcoming rerun elections.

In its reaction, the state APC described the police action as a fake operation staged by PDP thugs to indict the party.

Rivers State APC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Finebone, said in a statement, “A few days after the INEC announced that the Rivers re-run elections have been fixed for December 10, the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and the PDP have used thugs to stage what they call ‘busting of a fake result sheets printing syndicate in Port Harcourt’ said to be operated by a purported APC chieftain.

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“The Rivers State chapter of APC, wishes to state that no APC person, chieftain or ordinary member, was involved in any of the purported actions as alleged by Gov. Wike and the PDP assuming without conceding that any such development took place.”

Meanwhile, INEC has called for detailed investigation into the fake result sheet production in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, made this call in an interview on Sunday in Abuja. He urged the security agencies handling the matter to make sure that those allegedly involved, both those already arrested in connection with the matter, and their paymasters are prosecuted.

He said, “The commission has heard the news about the arrest of nine people with fake result sheets in Port Harcourt. INEC wants to appeal to security agencies that the culprits should not just be arrested, they and their sponsors should be prosecuted.”

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