…Seeks Outright Cancellation And Rescheduling
SAN FRANCISCO, March 29, (THEWILL) – The River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said on Saturday that there was no election in the state, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel and reschedule the Presidential ad National Assembly elections in the state.
A petition sent to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, seeking outright cancellation of the exercise and rescheduling of the proper elections, alleged several abnormalities and irregularities which are contrary to the electoral law.
The petition read in part: “The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, wishes to protest vehemently, and bring to the attention of the INEC, the parody of election held in Rivers State on Saturday, March 28, 2015 which was characterized by deliberate non release of Result Sheets to nearly all the centers, active collaboration and collusion of the INEC staff with the People’s Democratic Party in undermining the credibility of the Election, Violence deliberately orchestrated to scare away voters and the deployment and use of the Police to arrest key and notable APC Party faithful even during the election with the sole aim of infusing fear and intimidation on APC followers and removing them from circulation so that there will be leeway for the PDP to operate within the political space unchallenged.
“The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, a known associate and friend of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan connived with the Peoples Democratic Party, to disenfranchise the electorate in Rivers State. In several instances, non-Corpers were used as Presiding Officers and several card carrying PDP members were used as SPOs. The result is that, in substance, there was no election in Rivers State.”
Aleging police arrests and intimidation of its members, APC said: “On the morning of Friday March 27, Mr Emmanuel Deeyah, the State Party agent of the APC was arrested at the premises of INEC and taken away to the SOS.
“Daddy Pokima, the Chairman of Degema Local Government Area and Sokonte Davies, a member of the House of Representatives, were kidnapped and have not been found as at the time of the writing of this petition. The purpose of the kidnap is clear: to remove them from participating in the election and in this regard, several other APC Leaders numbering well over 55 were arrested just before and during the elections. APC members in over 16 LGAS were severely intimidated during the elections including the Chairman of Andoni LGA, Esuku Esuku who is still in hiding till now.”
The party also alleged INEC collusion with the PDP to compromise the credibility of the process, saying :
“On Friday night, an anonymous observer reported that cars were seen moving into the Rivers State INEC office to pick up incidence forms. He particularly saw a white Honda Accord vehicle driving into the INEC office and leaving with incidence forms.
“On Friday, the eve of the election, at about 6:30 PM, 40,000 incidence forms were illegally and clandestinely sent to Oyigbo LGA but stopped when the APC Agent complained about it. He was however asked to leave the INEC offices at about 11:30 pm and only allowed to return by 6am the next day.
120,000 incidence forms were to be sent to Port Harcourt LGA and 80,000 sent to Obio/Akpor and 50, 000 for Ikwerre LGA. No forms were sent at all in almost all the other LGAs.
It is curious that Incidence Forms which are designed to be used only after an identified voter is unable to complete biometrics identification, could be made available in advance when no incidence had occurred.
On alleged absence of results sheets in almost all the centres, the party said: “Perhaps, the most egregious aspect of the glaring irregularities and breaches in the election is in the area of a willful and deliberate non availability of Results Sheets in nearly all voting centers. This was deliberately made so as to pave the way for the writing of the results thereafter.
“For the avoidance of doubts, no result sheets were sent to Emohua, Ikwerre, Omuma, Etche, Akuku Toru, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika, Asari Toru, Ahoada East, Bonny, Khana, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada West,Abua/Odual, Oyigbo and some parts of Port Harcourt. In Opobo/Nkoro LGA, result sheets were distributed in only 3 out of 11 wards. In fact, in Boms Hall Voting Center, it caused a near total break down of law and order as some enlightened voters and APC faithfuls insisted that unless they were shown and allowed to examine the authenticity of the “Results Sheets, they would hold up proceedings. To make matters worse, the Presiding Officer when asked about the Result Sheet, retorted that he would write the result on a piece of paper and give to agents!
“It was when the crowd became tumultuous that they communicated the INEC office that rushed in what looked like Result Sheets and by this time, confidence in the process had been undermined.”
“In almost all the LGAs (about 16 LGAs), there were no incident forms yet voters were illegally accredited normally. Several thousand persons with fake PVCs whose cards were rejected as non-INEC cards by the Card Readers were accepted (in the face of strenuous objection and protests by the APC and other party Agents present) for accreditation even without filling the incident forms. This was worse in Khana, Gokana, Tai-Eleme, Oyigbo, Emohua, Ikwerre, parts of Obio/Akpor, Okrika and Ogu/Bolo. In Gokana for example, the Electoral Officer, Mr. Akpan publicly announced that there were no elections in the LGA. The Presiding Officers in Opobo/Nkoro LGA admitted that there were no elections in the LGA because hoodlums seized the sensitive materials meant for the elections.”
The party alleged that as this letter was being written, there were reports that thumb-printing and collation of false results were going on at several known places.
“Also, one Ejoh Orusa the Ward Co-ordinating officer for Port Harcourt LGA took the result sheets for the LGA to Hon. Austin Opara’s house at Nsirim Crescent in GRA, Port Harcourt for thumb printing and collation,” the party said.
It alleged that in Gokana – Ward 9 Unit 18, “INEC materials were provided but without the original Result Sheet. Community members and voters asked INEC officials to produce the original Result Sheets before accreditation can commence and that was not done resulting in preventing the exercise from taking place. The result is no voting took place in Gokana.
“Still in Gokana, Senator Magnus Abe and the Gokana LGA Council Chairman, Mr. Kadilo Kabari were attacked by policemen and PDP thugs masquerading as INEC officials who were facilitating the thumb-printing of ballot papers by PDP members at the Divisional Police Headquarters Kpor, headquarters of Gokana LGA. Also attacked were some aides of the Senator. The policemen who threatened to shoot the Senator and his aides, pushed the Senator and hit the Council Chairman leading to his falling on the ground.”
