INEC PLOTTING TO RELEASE RESULTS OF CANCELLED ELECTIONS TO FAVOUR APC - GOV. WIKE

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike

Amaechi lost in Ikwerre, declare it or face crisis

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has raised the alarm over an
alleged plot by the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to release some of the results in the eight local
government areas it earlier cancelled in the March 19 legislative
re-run elections in the state.

This is as the governor warned of imminent crisis if INEC dared
to cancel results of Ikwerre Local Government, home of former
Governor Chibuike Amaechi, he said the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) candidates won.

In a swift reaction, the electoral umpire said Wike’s allegations
were not true and that it has no plan to declare results in places
where the electoral processes were inconclusive.

In an exclusive interview with THISDAY in Port Harcourt yesterday,
Wike said he had information that INEC was planning to release
some of the results in the eight local government areas where the
commission suspended elections.

He said: “We are now hearing that INEC wants to release some of
the results of the election they cancelled in some of the eight
local governments, obviously to help the APC. Don’t forget the
election was cancelled around 2pm before the election process
was even concluded on the 19th, the very day of the election.
“How can they have results for a process that was ongoing when
it was cancelled by the same INEC? Where did the result surface
from? Their claim now is that some of the results in the eight
local governments they cancelled were already collated and I ask
how was it possible when it was cancelled when voting was still
going on by 2pm? This is fraud on the part of INEC. INEC is
trying to help the APC by manipulating the result. The APC lost
badly in Rivers so they want to help Minister of Transportation,
Chibuike Amaechi to save his face.”

He accused INEC of trying to subvert the will of the people as
expressed by the voters in the re-run elections.
“As I said before, INEC has not showed any sign that they are
impartial. They have not shown signs of that. Notwithstanding, we
have raised complaints and they have seen that our complaints
are genuine. So why are they running away from it. Why?
He alleged that INEC was using the cover of the suspended
election to perfect plans to rig elections in the eight local
government areas in favour of the APC.

He accused the INEC of causing crisis in the state and warned of
dire consequences if the commission continued to favour any
political party.
Wike said: “I foresee a situation where all they are doing now is
to perfect a system where they will now want to rig us out. Just
like I said, that will also be highly resisted. So, no one will say
that there is crisis in Rivers State.

“INEC should not be causing crisis in Rivers State, INEC should
allow the people’s will to prevail. I will not fold my arms and allow
INEC to perfect that strategy they want to use and rig in those
eight local government areas. Rivers State will still resist it. If I die
in the cause of Rivers state, no big deal about that.
“If I die for it, it is a sacrifice I can make for Rivers State as
Rivers State cannot be cheated any longer. Allow the people’s
will; allow their mandate to stand. Don’t try to satisfy an individual
whom you think might have contributed so much amount of
money to a political party. The people will decide where their
votes will be and so we will resist it with all it takes.”

Wike also accused INEC of deliberately refusing to release the
result of elections in Ikwerre state constituency and Ikwerre/
Emohua federal constituency because the APC lost in Amaechi’s
home constituencies.

He said: “Yes, he (Amaechi) lost in Ikwerre Local government and
that is why they are playing games; INEC is trying to play games,
particularly one national commissioner, Amina Zakari. She is the
brain behind all these problems you see in Rivers State. She has
been tele-guiding and manipulating. In fact, I can tell that one of
the monitors wrote condemning the attitude of Amaechi during
that election. Amina scolded the supervisor for writing a report
against Amaechi. We intercepted all those information. Indeed,
most of the result swapping that INEC tried to do in Rivers State
emanated from Amina Zakari.”

The governor said the people would resist any attempt by the
commission to cancel the results as they had already been
collated at the centres.
“So, not releasing Ikwerre is a bone on their neck. But I dare
them. Let them try to say they are cancelling Ikwerre Local
Government. You cannot cancel what has been collated from the
unit to the ward. You cannot do that. That result must be
released. If they don’t want crisis, that result must be released.
We will not fold out hands. It doesn’t matter. No threat will make
us to forgo that. We trounced Amaechi in his local government.
He failed. And let be said he failed. Let the whole world know
that he failed. What are you protecting him for? You should
protect the votes of the people and not a single individual,” Wike
said.

He said the INEC was sympathising with the former governor and
was shielding him from embarrassment.
“Go and check the results that have been collated. He failed. He
also lost at the federal constituency level. He won’t get senate, he
won’t get the federal constituency and he won’t get the state
assembly. So, it is making them; let’s protect this man; it’s too
embarrassing that they say he can’t even get state house of
assembly.

“That is our position. INEC should release Ikwerre local
government result. In fact, they must. They have no choice.
Whatever they have eaten, they should send it back. Whatever
they have taken from him, they should give him back,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
yesterday said that contrary to insinuations by some persons, the
commission “does not interfere with the decisions of the
electorate but only declares those who won election fair and
square.”

In a related development, the South-South zonal leadership of the
PDP has urged INEC to, as a matter of urgent national important,
release the remaining results of the recently concluded re-run
election in Rivers State, stressing that it would greatly serve the
interest of the nation’s democracy and peace.
In a statement by the South-South chairman of the PDP, Dr Cairo
Ojougboh, the party strongly criticized the activities of INEC
particularly in the conduct of Rivers State election.
Outstanding Constituencies
In Rivers re-run elections, 22 out of 32 state constituencies were
contested; 12 out of 13 federal constituencies and 3 senatorial
districts.

INEC has so far released results of 11 state constituencies and
four federal constituencies.
Outside the 8 local government areas where INEC suspended
elections, INEC has not released results in 3 federal
constituencies, namely Bonny /Degeq00ma, Okrika /Ogu /Bolo,
and Emohua /Ikwerre.
Outstanding federal constituencies in the 8 suspended local
government areas are Asaritoru /Akukutoru, Etche /Omuma, Tai/
Eleme /Oyigbo, Khana/Gokana, and Opobo /Nkoro/Andoni.
In the suspended areas, the outstanding state constituencies are
9, namely Assritoru 1 and 2, Etche, Tai, Eleme, Gokana, Khana 1
and 2, and Bonny.

Outstanding state constituencies outside the suspended LGAs 2,
namely Bonny and Ikwerre