The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers on Friday presented petitions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Nigeria Police on its reservations over the conduct of the re-run elections. Mr Honourable Asita, APC’s Deputy Governorship candidate in the 2015 election, made this known during a protest march to INEC office in Port Harcourt.
Asita, with other leaders and members of the party, said that they were at the INEC office to formally present a petition on the conduct of the election. “We are protesting the conduct of the elections especially in Rivers East Senatorial District, where election results were yet to be collated in three local government areas, when INEC went ahead to declare result and present certificate to the candidate of the PDP.’’
According to Asita, the action of INEC confirmed the content of a tape in which Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers threatened to kill officials of the electoral umpire if they failed to do his bidding. “In the audio tape we presented to INEC and police, Wike was threatening to kill some INEC officials if they don’t do what he had paid them money for.
“We have written several petitions to security agencies but because Wike is controlling Rivers money to bribe, he has continuously bribed people to have his way.” The leader of the APC protest called for the redeployment of Mr Aniedi Ikoiwaik, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) out of the state for not being able conduct a credible election. Collecting the petition, Mr Adeyemi Olufemi, Head of the Legal Department, INEC in Rivers, thanked the APC members for being peaceful and assured them that the letter and tape would be transmitted to its headquarters in Abuja.
Earlier at the Police Headquarters, Rivers Command, Asita said the killings during the 2015 electioneering campaign and the election had not abated. He said the violence was not only against APC members because a security officer was affected. “DSP Mohammed Alkali was killed and beheaded with other police officers but nothing has been done; no arrest has been made.
“We are here to present a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Idris Abubakar, demanding an investigation into all politically motivated killings in the state,” he said. Asita further alleged that Wike had been on air scandalising and intimidating some gallant police officers who refused to take bribe. He urged the police in Rivers not to be intimidated by the unguarded actions of the state governor.
Meanwhile, Mr Cyril Okoro, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration), promised to forward the petition and tape to the I-G. Okoro enjoined the APC leaders to control their members and remain peaceful. However, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Dan Awunah, had earlier in Abuja paraded five suspects in connection with the mayhem recorded during the Rivers re-run polls. Awunah assured that the suspects would be prosecuted at the end of investigation.
(Vanguard)
