Rivers Is Not A Violence State, Says Wike

Rivers State Governor, Barr Nyesom Wike has declared that there is no violence in the state under his watch, as speculated following crisis that led to the suspension of the electoral process of the March 9, 2019 governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

The Governor stated yesterday, at a stakeholders meeting on the resumption of electoral activities for the completion of outstanding 2019 general elections in Rivers State organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in Port Harcourt.

While declaring that Rivers State has always been peaceful, except during elections when security agencies act negatively, Governor Wike stated that the Nigerian Army should remove their hands from election matters.

He stated that the security personnel for the Governorship Election Collation should be made public to avoid illegal actions during the process.

He said that Rivers people raised alarm over the plot to unleash violence in the state, but they were accused of always crying.

“The only way you can have peaceful election is when the security agencies refuse to manipulate the elections. The Army snatched results and when the people resisted them, the Army killed them. The violence was at the point of Collation.

“Throughout my political career, I have never seen the kind of role, the Army played. What has happened to the Police Officer indicted for manhandling of INEC Staff during the rerun in 2016? The same officer played negative roles in this last election. Rivers state is not a violence state. Why is the state not when we are drilling oil? Investigating and removing the hands of perpetrators of violence in Rivers will save the state.”

Meanwhile, INEC National Commissioner supervising Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers State, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu said that the Collation will be carried out transparently in the state.

Mrs Mbu who said INEC decided to suspend the election to save the lives of Rivers people following much violence that marred the poll, disclosed “All the results are with us in our strong room. They have not been tampered with. We are going to conduct the Collation Transparently.

“INEC is here to complete this process and we shall complete the process successfully “.

The INEC National Commissioner who presided the meeting said though they don’t know the winners of the elections, all the results are intact in INEC custody.

“I can tell you for free that we don’t know the winners”.

She said that INEC will religiously follow the timelines outlined by the commission for the Governorship Election Collation of results.

The Independent National Electoral Commission further announced the 17 Local Government Areas where it has collated results for the Rivers State Governorship Election.

Administrative Secretary of INEC Rivers State, Elder Etim Umoh listed the Local Government Areas to include: Ahoada East, Bonny, Akuku-Toru, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Omuma, Port Harcourt, Ikwerre, Emohua, Tai, Opobo-Nkoro, Andoni ,Eleme, Etche, Ogu–Bolo, Oyigbo, Okrika.

He stated that the Local Government Areas where Collation have not been concluded include: Khana, Asari-Toru, Degema, Ahoada West, Abua/Odual and Gokana.

Earlier, the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Engr. Biokpomabo Awara, walked out to address press on the perceived bias on the side of the INEC.

Awara had pointed out to the electoral umpire that it was wrong for the commission to leave collated results in the hand of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obo Effanga, and expressed disappointment in the conduct of INEC.

He noted that INEC organised the meeting to fulfill the bidding of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the commission left its office to hold the programme in a building owned by a known PDP man in the state.

“By right, we would not have been here because meeting like this should not be held in a private property owned by a PDP man”, Awara expressed.

Awara also alleged that INEC had prepared certificates-of-return for Governor Wike, 20 candidates of PDP and a candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, when the elections have not completed.