APC kicks as INEC resumes collation of Rivers gov poll

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked against plans by top officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to favour Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during tomorrow’s resumption of collation of results of March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections.

Its Rivers Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, also accused Wike of desperation to be re-elected.

The party said: “We condemn in strong terms, the so-called timeline and activities to conclude the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State, as announced at the stakeholders meeting.

“It is a mere charade, well-organised and choreographed by INEC, in its bid to work from answer to question.

“The ultimate result can only be to announce their (INEC’s) preferred partner and collaborator (Wike) as the winner against the AAC’s governorship candidate (Awara), who was clearly in the lead before collation was aborted (on March 10).

“Whether INEC will succeed in its machinations will be seen in the days to come.

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“Several actions of INEC had prepared the minds of many that the entire exercise was skewed to favour Wike and the PDP, leaving in the process, several questions without answers.

“How come that Wike knew about the 17 local government areas, which results had been allegedly collated and had posted same on his (Wike’s) official Twitter handle, long before INEC made the announcement?

“Answers to this and other questions will continue to hang on the neck of INEC like an albatross.”

The main opposition APC also stated that what was happening in Rivers state was in complete fulfilment of the tripartite collaboration between Wike, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga and Administrative Secretary, Elder Etim Umoh.

But Wike dismissed the allegations as senseless and meaningless.

Speaking through Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, the governor said: “The APC’s accusation that INEC is favouring Governor Wike does not hold water.

“It is the same old song; empty, meaningless and senseless. Majority of Rivers people do not take the APC in the state seriously.

“They (APC members in Rivers State) blame everybody, apart from themselves, for every problem. When they had internal problems that cost them their place in the ballot, they blamed others.

“When their adopted puppet in AAC could not win one unit in the state, because he was unknown and never campaigned, the APC blamed others.”