AHEAD of the December 10 legislative
rerun election, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has
accused the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission
of handing over original copies of result sheets to the Minister of
Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, towards an alleged plan to rig the
poll.
Wike, who spoke in Etche Local
Government Area on Wednesday, alleged that Amaechi made the disclosure
on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting of Rivers APC leaders.
The governor said that he was in possession of the proceedings of the Abuja “illegal” meeting of the APC.
He alleged that Amaechi assured the
Rivers APC leaders at the Abuja meeting that the original result sheets
supplied by the INEC would be used for the December 10 rerun elections
to facilitate victory for the APC candidates.
“While we are working for the people of
Rivers State to convince them to vote for us, the APC is busy working
with the INEC to rig the rerun elections.
“On December 10, follow your results
bumper to bumper. Don’t allow anyone to swap results. I urge the Etche
people to follow their results,” he said.
The governor stated that the Rivers APC
members who were arrested while printing fake result sheets for INEC
were transferred to Zone 6 Police Command headquarters in Calabar.
He also alleged that arrangements had
been concluded to take them to Abuja with a plan to release them in line
with the request of the APC.
Wike added, “Tell them, INEC you cannot
rig election in Etche. Tell INEC, you cannot support another party to
rig the election.”
He said the APC had concluded plans with
security agencies to arrest the chairmen of Etche Local Government
Area, Ikwerre Local Government Area and other leaders of the party to
create room for the rigging of the rerun elections.
Reacting through his media office,
Amaechi described Wike’s allegation as wild, baseless and an attempt to
intimidate INEC into doing his (governor’s) bidding.
He said, “We know his game; this is an
old worn-out trick that will certainly fail. Wike is scared, profoundly
afraid. This is why he is telling these spurious lies. He knows he will
lose at the polls, if the election is free & fair.”
Also, the state APC Publicity Secretary
said, “It is sad that the governor’s grand deception train anchored at
Etche to deceive the good people of Etche with a phoney road project
flag-off.
“Etche people must follow in the
footstep of Ogoni people who have since realised that the governor
simply took them for a ride with the flag-off of Sakpenwa-Bori-Kono Road
and others.”
Several telephone calls put across to
the Rivers State INEC Public Relations Officer, Antonia Nwobo, and a
text message were neither answered nor replied.
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