RIVERS POLL: APC fears INEC would manipulate results in favour of Wike, warn of dangers ahead

The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of plot to manipulate election results in favour of incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike.

The allegations were made by a chieftain of the party , Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.

Eze warned the electoral body against manipulating the results of the governorship and House of Assembly elections as such action he said, “May set Rivers State on unprecedented crisis that may truncate our nascent democracy if not handled carefully.”

Eze’s position was contained in a statement he made avaliable to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been warned not to manipulate the results of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State in favour of the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Nyesom Wike, as such action is capable of truncating the nation’s nascent democracy.

INEC had suspended collation of results in Rivers following electoral irregularities that marred the exercise.

It had afterwards set up a committee to look into the cause of the problem within 48 hours. After the committee submitted its report INEC in a statement signed by its director of media, Festus Okoye, blamed the army and armed thugs for disruption of elections in the state.

It added that results which it had already collated stand and that it will soon conclude the polls.

But Eze in his statement feared that the INEC hierarchy might be conniving with the PDP and Governor Wike to return him as governor, “the results of the election not being in his favour notwithstanding.”

He boasted that “the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Engr. Biokpomabo Awara, was leading with a very wide margin, from the results so far collated and announced in the five local government areas already done with, before the INEC announced the suspension of electoral process in the state.”

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According to him, “INEC was allowing itself to be unduly influenced to truncate the wishes of the people of Rivers State, as overwhelmingly depicted in the voting pattern on Saturday, March 9, 2019, in which the AAC governorship candidate, Awara, was said to have taken a comfortable lead ahead of Wike and the PDP.

“The world is watching with breathtaking attention the funny game currently being played by the Nigerian INEC, prompted by the internal and external forces that may set Rivers State on unprecedented crisis that may truncate our nascent democracy if not handled carefully.”

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