Tonye Cole, Accord Party assembly candidates call for fresh election in Rivers

RIVERS State All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain,  Tonye Cole and Accord Party assembly candidates have called for fresh a governorship and legislative election in the state.

They alleged that many controversies have trailed the March 9 exercise, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  to organise a fresh poll. Affirming the lack of confidence in the system by the two major parties involved in the contest, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Action Congress (AAC), Cole said any result emerging from the March 9 poll will not be acceptable to the losing party.

He (Cole)  was however silent on what will be his involvement in a fresh election in his statement titled: “A plea for righteous intervention in Rivers State.” Noting the mutual suspicion between the two parties and the acrimony triggered by the contest, Cole pleaded for a fresh start under heavy security to guarantee the will of the people.

He said: “If there is one thing that I am certain of, it is that the entire election of March 9 is totally and completely compromised from head to toe. There are no results that would be announced today that would reflect the will of the people in any form or manner.

“There are just as many people who do not trust and will not accept an election that delivers PDP today because of the belief that the umpire has granted unfettered access to the result sheets and a yeoman’s job has been done on the collated results that is guaranteed to withstand any scrutiny through the Election Tribunals or any court of law thereafter just as there are as many people who will not accept a result that delivers the AAC because of the belief that the election day results were structured to favour them by the direct involvement of the military as insinuated by the PDP. “INEC must, therefore, declare the entire elections of March 9 null and void and set out a new date for fresh elections.

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“This time around, there are no distractions left and every eye is upon Rivers State now.” Speaking yesterday in Port –Harcourt, the Accord Party assembly candidates said the call for fresh election followed the confirmation that the March 9, exercise was characterized by violence which affected the holding of the polls. In a communiqué presented by the group’s spokesman, Duke Alamboye, the candidates called on INEC to set up a new date for fresh governorship and house of assembly elections in the state, within the stipulated time as approved by the Electoral Law.

Alamboye who contested to represent  Akuku-Toru State Constituency II also called for the redeployment of Obo Effanga, the Resident Electoral Commissioner “and other critical staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC who participated and were involved in the March 9 election in Rivers State, especially given the fact that they have been victims of the intimidations, harassments, abductions and hostage situations they were exposed to during the elec tion.” “We also state clearly, that we have completely disregarded any earlier declared results in connection with the March 9, polls in Rivers State, as these figures are products contrived from very faulty processes, which have rendered them inchoate and unreliable.”