APC Rejects INEC’s Timeline For Rivers Governorship Election Conclusion
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress said APC has received with mixed feelings INEC’s timeline for concluding the governorship and state Assembly elections that started on March 9.
The opposition party in a statement signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Senibo Chris Finebone, expressed dismay that, “INEC has not shown sufficient good faith in the way it brought the collation to an abrupt stop without cogent, verifiable and convincing reasons.”
The party expressed concerns that INEC had gone ahead to announce that collation for 17 LGAs had been concluded, “as against the records provided by our situation room.”
“And to make matters worse, INEC
refused, failed or neglected to name the said 17 LGAs where it claimed
collation had been concluded,” the party maintained.
Text of the
press release reads: “INEC curiously announced that it has dropped four
LGA Collation Officers confirmed to be PDP card-carrying members without
the umpire clearing the air about the status of the LGA results that
the four ad hoc personnel supposedly collated.
“So many questions
come to mind. Could the four collation officers be unfit for the job
while the collations they conducted are acceptable?
“Of course, that
cannot be! Why is INEC jittery or afraid to name the 17 LGAs if not for
the simple reason that some underhand dealings might have taken place
for which it is covering up?
“Of course, that cannot be! Why is INEC jittery or afraid to name the 17 LGAs if not for the simple reason that some underhand dealings might have taken place for which it is covering up?
“With the violation of the collation process at the Obio/Akpor Collation Centre where government agents shot an Army captain and other soldiers in the process, why does it seem that INEC’s body language is suggesting that Obio/Akpor collation has been completed?
“To the APC, INEC is up to some mischief clearly pointing to a clear determination to rig the overall result of the March 9 elections in favour of Governor Nyesom Wike and the PDP.
“The signs are visible enough to the blind and loud enough to the deaf. All the shenanigans so far exhibited by INEC only go to confirm that fear.
“In any case, the APC will subject the recent announcement by INEC to meticulous scrutiny after which the party’s position will further be made public.”