Tina Amanda
As the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, prepares to resume the collation exercise that will conclude the electoral process of the March 9th governorship election in Rivers state, Governor Nyesom Wike has called on the military to stop interfering in the electoral process.
Governor Wike who stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting for the completion of the outstanding 2019 general elections in the state, blamed the Nigerian Army for the violence witnessed during the Collation of Results.
He also urged INEC to restrict themselves to matters that concern the collation process.
According to him, Rivers state is not a violence state but most electoral violence occurs when the electorates try to defend their votes from security agencies who come to snatch ballot boxes or manipulate the process after a peaceful and successful electoral process in polling units and wards.
He said: “The only way you can have peaceful election is when the security agencies refuse to manipulate the elections. The Army snatched results and when the people resisted them, the Army killed them. The violence was at the point of Collation.
“Throughout my political career, I have never seen the kind of role the Army played. What has happened to the Police Officer indicted for manhandling of INEC Staff during the rerun in 2016. The same officer played negative roles in this last elections “.
Also speaking, INEC National Commissioner Supervising Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers States, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, appealed to all Rivers electorates to cooperate with INEC during the collation process in order to achieve success in the activities outlined.
She said: “All the results are with us in our strong room. They have not been tampered with. We are going to conduct the Collation Transparently.
“INEC is here to complete this process and we shall complete the process successfully”.
The INEC National Commissioner said though they don’t know the winners of the elections, all the results are intact in INEC custody.
“I can tell you for free that we don’t know the winners”.
She said that INEC will religiously follow the timelines outlined by the commission for the Governorship Election Collation of results.
The INEC Rivers State Head of Department, Legal, Mr Don Umealor outlined the supplementary regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections.
He said all INEC Staff involved in the Collation of Results shall conduct the process with transparency. He said political parties will be given the opportunity to comment on the process, but nobody would be allowed to disrupt the Collation Process.
He stated that those entitled to be at the Collation Centre include: Collation and Returning Officers, INEC Personnel, One Polling Agent per party or Candidate, approved security officials, properly accredited observers, properly accredited media persons and any other person or organisation approved by INEC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), announced the 17 Local Government Areas where it has collated results for the Rivers State Governorship Election.
Administrative Secretary of INEC Rivers State, Elder Etim Umoh listed the Local Government Areas to include: Ahoada East, Bonny, Akuku-Toru, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Omuma, Port Harcourt, Ikwerre, Emohua, Tai, Opobo-Nkoro, Andoni ,Eleme, Etche, Ogu–Bolo, Oyigbo, Okrika.
He stated that the Local Government Areas where Collation have not been concluded include: Khana, Asari-Toru, Degema, Ahoada West, Abua/Odual and Gokana.
Speaking on behalf of the inter-security agencies, Commissioner of Police Rivers State Command, CP Usman Belel, assured the public that the command will provide maximum security, while encouraging all stakeholders to do the needful, adding that in any election, a winner must emerged.
In his remark, a Representative of Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, who decried the political tension in the state, appealed to INEC to carry out the collation process transparently, while appealing to INEC to maintain transperancy in carrying out the collation exercise for peace to reign in Rivers state.
Former President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogonis, Ledum Mitee urged INEC to publish the names of all security personnel that would man the Collation Centre for transparency and accountability.
Our correspondent, Tina Amanda, reports that a fresh election will be conducted in six local government areas namely: Abua-Odua, Ahoada West, Khana, Gokana, Akuku-Toru and in seven wards in Degema.
