INEC declares PDP winner of Rivers rerun election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the supplementary legislative rerun election for Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency and Etche State Constituency 2, Rivers State, held on Saturday.

The INEC Returning Officer for the Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency election, Professor Sola Omotola, who announced the results at the INEC office in Okehi, declared that PDP polled 15,221 votes to emerge as the winner, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 6,220.

For the Etche State Constituency 2, the INEC Returning Officer, Oluwatosin Odusanya, announced that APC scored 1618 votes, while PDP polled 4162 votes to emerge victorious.

Expectedly, Rivers State PDP chairman, Mr Felix Obuah, congratulated the people of the state on the victory of the party, even as he condemned the alleged interference of the military and police in the election.

This was as his APC counterpart, Dr Davies Ikanya, however said the result of the election was unacceptable, declaring that it was an inconclusive exercise.

The Rivers PDP Chairman, Obuah, ascribed the party’s victory at the poll to the uncommon courage of PDP members and the people of Etche and Omuma.

He said the party emerged victorious in the legislative rerun elections in the area, even in the face of an alleged harassment, intimidation, attacks, maiming and arrests of innocent PDP members by men of the Nigeria Army and Police.

He described the alleged interference and involvement of the military and men of the Nigeria Police in electoral process as worrisome, condemnable and portends great danger for Nigeria’s Democracy.

Obuah, in a statement, congratulated the PDP candidates in the elections, Chief Jerome Ek (Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency) and Hon Tony Ejiogu (Etche State Constituency 2), for emerging victorious.

On the other hand however, the state APC chairman, Ikanya, said the results declared were for the rerun elections that were earlier declared inconclusive by the returning officers.

“They had subsequently announced that the conclusion of the process would take place today (Sunday) or on Monday.

“However, we were taken aback when it was reported that the National Electoral Commissioner in charge, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, had ordered that the incomplete results be declared despite the earlier declaration by the two returning officers on Saturday at Okehi that the elections were inconclusive.

“APC vehemently rejects the results as declared today (Sunday) at the State INEC Office in Port Harcourt. This action by INEC runs counter and contradictory to earlier announcement on Saturday by the aforementioned returning officers who are the duly empowered persons to make such declarations.

“What INEC did today is a rape on democracy and APC will surely resist it with every legal window available to it”, he said in another statement issued in reaction to the declared results.