Kingsley Wenenda Wali, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers on Wednesday, stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot in any way excuse itself from blame over the violence that characterised the now suspended March 9 2019, Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections in the state.
He alleged that INEC has remained silent on the claimed invasion of the Collation Centre at Obio/Akpor local government area of the state, where two soldiers were seriously injured.
Wali in a statement issued in Port Harcourt also wondered why INEC will blame the military for the violence that trailed the elections.
According to him: “I have watched in total bewilderment, the way the INEC has carried on as an electoral umpire. The garrulousness of the spokespeople of the INEC is shockingly incomprehensible.
“But again, if we consider the fact that this midnight INEC is very absurd in her ways, then nothing they do now should surprise anyone. This midnight INEC has accused everyone else of being responsible for the failure of the governorship and legislative elections, and the only one clean and free of any blame is them.
“They have blamed the Nigerian Military and claimed that they had actually disrupted the process by invading polling units & seizing electoral materials.
“The ridiculous allegations further add that the Nigerian Army maimed and killed Nigerians and until this moment, the only pictures in the public domain of people brutalized on the March 9, are those of servicemen lying critically ill in hospitals.
“To the best of my knowledge, the electoral guidelines invited the Military to participate to the extent that they were expected to provide security. Nobody wanted elections in Rivers State to be celebrated as a killing field or theatre of war. Or have we forgotten so soon?
“INEC has been making statements that betray their bias. The spokesman of INEC in Rivers State accused the military of invading the premises of the INEC.
“The questions to ask the Rivers INEC is: Who invited the military to protect the premises? Is their presence there novel? Meanwhile, in all their public statements INEC has not said a word about Obio/Akpor.”
