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Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who is seeking a second term, and Biokpomabo Awara of the African Action Congress (AAC), met at a stakeholders meeting convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the planned made-up election to determine the next governor of the state.
Awara accused Wike and INEC of doctoring results of the bloody governorship and House of Assembly elections of March 9 in the state while the governor countered by saying the AAC candidate and his backers in the All Progressives Congress (APC) were promoting violence and scaring investors from the state.
AAC candidate said, “surprised that the leaders of political parties involved in the elections were not asked questions by members of INEC’s five-man fact-finding committee.”
“I doubt the reliability of the doctored result sheets and other electoral materials with INEC in the last three weeks. We have record of some of the results being mutilated, particularly that of Akuku-Toru LGA.
“REC of INEC in Rivers State has refused to give reasons for changing the four compromised electoral officers of the commission, who lack integrity for being card-carrying members of PDP.
“If the violence made the March 9 elections not to be credible, according to INEC, where did the commission get results for the 17 LGAs of Rivers 23 LGAs in the INEC’s possession?
“At what point did the elections become violence-free, for the commission to now have results for 17 LGAs? Why has INEC refused to release the results of the 17 LGAs it claims to have and the remaining six LGAs it wants to do supplementary election?”
Wike replies to Awara’s statement
Wike said, Rivers are not violent people.
Speaking further, “I do not agree that Rivers is a violent state. Rivers State has never and it will not be a violent State,” he fired back.
“the problem we have in this country, when people start to raise the alarm, over things that may likely happen, most of the things we always say, they are always crying. “Why are they raising too much alarm? What causes violence? Why is there violence each time there is election? The only way to have peaceful elections is when the security agencies refuse to interfere or manipulate any process.
“How did people die? When INEC would go and collate results and people would resist and when people resist, they will shoot them.
“Rivers is not a violent state. It is most unfortunate that people would leave their state, come to another state, instead of them to make sure what obtains in their state obtains here, they do not want it, they want to cause problems for us.
“With all due respect, the Garrison Commander (Brig.-Gen. Adeola Kalejaiye) is here. Throughout my political career of not less than 30 years, I have never experienced the type of roles the army played. We must tell people the simple truth.
“INEC set up a committee in 2016, during and after the reruns, where it was stated in your report that certain police officer manhandled your electoral official. He even went as far as naming the police officer. What has happened, as INEC? You could have said you did not want that kind of officer again. The same officer was also implicated in your report in these elections. Who are the people causing the violence?
“Rivers State in not violent when they are drilling crude oil. Why must the violence be during the period of elections? Who are those responsible, in order to tell them? INEC can insist on not requiring the services of the violent security personnel; that is the only way we can have peaceful, free and fair elections in Rivers State. Let the army personnel remove their hands from elections. It is unfortunate that we had some people demonstrating and thanking the Nigerian Army for a job well done. That is Nigeria for us.
“Who are the security personnel that will be in charge of the collation (between April 2 and 5)? Let us avoid sermon. You do not preach to me what you will not practise. The onus is on the security agencies to help INEC to do the right things, in order to achieve the results the commission wants to achieve. Rivers State is a peaceful state. Nobody should be driving away investors from us. Let the personnel of Nigerian Army remove their hands from electoral process.”
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