APC accuses INEC, Police to aiding Wike to rig Rivers governorship election
...Says it lost 5 members, vows to challenge result in court
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has stated that what happened in Rivers State on the 18th of March cannot qualify to be an election, rather, a process in which the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the Nigeria Police helped Chief Nyesom Wike to install the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Siminialaye Fubara, as governor.
APC also disclosed that it would challenge the PDP’s victory in court, adding that it has not conceded to defeat.
The party further alleged widespread violence across the states during the polls which claimed the lives of five of its members in the Ahoada West Local Government Area.
APC disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, signed by its Chairman, Chief Emeka Beke and spokesman of the Party, Darlington Nwauju, in response to the statewide broadcast by the state governor, Wike, after Saturday’s polls.
Speaking, Nwauju, who read the statement, noted that in the actual sense of it that there was no election in the state, alleging that the police and the INEC only helped the PDP to install a governor.
Nwauju said: “Last Saturday’s election in Rivers State was between APC and INEC, the police and Gov Wike’s PDP. There was no election in the real sense of it. INEC and the Police brazenly worked together to install Gov Wike’s PDP candidates as winners of the election.
“As a party, we have repeatedly raised the alarm about how Gov Wike, using State resources that belong to Rivers people, to compromise key institutions like INEC and the Police. What happened on Saturday was a systemic institutionalized rigging of the elections by Gov Wike with the supposed umpire, INEC and the police actively doing the bidding of Gov Wike.
“Gov Wike is gloating that his PDP won elections in Rivers State. But everyone knows that PDP did not win the elections in Rivers State. PDP stole the elections with the active connivance and participation of INEC and the police. They were brazenly and shamelessly allocated votes.”
He said five of its party faithful were killed during the election, while two are still missing, adding that the leader of the APC in the state does not believe nor support killing.
Nwauju said: “We are pained but not surprised at the dismissive response offered by the outgoing Governor, in a mindless attempt to explain away the killing of a PhD scholar who incidentally and quite significantly, should have been defending his Doctoral Thesis today, Thursday 23rd March 2023, had his life not been mowed down by bullets of thugs organized by the PDP to forcefully impose themselves on the people of the state against their will.
“For the avoidance of doubts, Nigerians are invited to note that the following members of the APC, Rivers State chapter, lost their lives in Ahoada West LGA alone on the 18th of March 2023 –
(1) Esor Godspower Ajahu, Ward 10, Unit 01; (2) Chiosom Lennard Tabele, Ward 10 Unit 02 – LGA Cordinator; (3) Okpara Chienyere – Unit 01 Ward 10; (4) Goodnews Michael Okpara – Anakpo community Ward 8 Unit 5. (5) Two persons still missing in this LGA.”
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