Several days after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, concluded elections in Rivers State, with results declared, it is still compiling results. In collaboration with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, INEC has been busy thumb-printing ballot papers and doctoring result sheets of all the local government areas so as to correspond with the figures they allocated to the PDP and others during the elections of March 28, and April 11, 2015.
As part of their preparations for the Election Petition Tribunal, PDP has camped INEC Presiding Officers, POs, who conducted the disputed elections in the various LGA’s in hotels and sundry places, while INEC had directed both its personnel and ad hoc staff to report at the State headquarters to doctor the figures and cover their tracks.
Similarly, the election “umpire” has thrown open its doors for the PDP and its agents to also thumb-print some of the ballot papers in the safety of its premises, after a tip-off led the police to CRKR, in the Elekahia area of Port Harcourt, believed to be owned by a PDP chieftain, where Presiding Officers who conducted elections in Khana Local Government Area were camped to doctor results on Wednesday April 22, 2015.
Khana, one out of the 4 Ogoni local governments, has significant population and was one of the worst-hit councils where unimaginable massive thumb-printing and other electoral irregularities took place during the general elections of March 28 and April 11, 2015.
Recall that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had petitioned INEC over the subject matter without any steps taken by either security agencies or INEC to investigate the complaints and stop the travesty going on in Rivers State. Regrettably, even the events of the night of Wednesday, the 22nd, were given a short shrift by the police whose conduct may indeed lay credence to the claims that they have been completely compromised. The APC is appalled by these actions and wishes to again reiterate its call for INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to take more than a passing interest in events in Rivers state and as a matter of urgency retrieve all sensitive election materials in the state.
We trust that he will appreciate our concern and kindly oblige us for the sake of the millions of Rivers people who stand to be disenfranchised if something isn’t done urgently.
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Ibim Semenitari
Director of Communications,
Greater Together Campaign Organisation
Thursday, April 23, 2015.
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1 comment:
Inec should respect the mandate of the people.
234 Jam Blog
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