Rivers rerun: PDP victorious in Rivers East, West •Rejects Magnus Abe’s election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the Rivers East and Rivers West senatorial districts in the rerun elections conducted in the state, last Saturday.

Declaring the result for Rivers East Senatorial District, the returning officer, Professor Onu Ekumankama, announced that Senator George Sekibo of PDP polled 98, 098 votes to defeat Mr Andrew Uchendu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 34, 193 votes.

In the same vein, the ruling party in the state also emerged victorious in Rivers West Senatorial District, as the returning officer for the district, Professor Raphael Echebiri, declared that its Osinakachukwu Ideozu, polled 107, 166 votes to defeat the APC candidate in the election, Otelemaba Amachree, who scored 46, 898 votes.

Meanwhile, the PDP has rejected the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Magnus Abe, as the winner of the legislative rerun election held on Saturday in Rivers South East Senatorial District.

The party also rejected Barry Mpigi, Friday Nke-Ee, Innocent Barikor and others winners of their respective offices in the senatorial district, claiming that what happened during the election was nothing short of war declared on the people by Abe, Mpigi, the Army, SARS, policemen and APC thugs dressed in army uniform.

Rivers PDP chairman, Mr Felix Obuah, in a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Jerry Needam, said election never took place in the whole of the Rivers South East District.

He challenged APC, INEC, Army, police and other security agencies to show proof that there was election in the district, adding that whoever laid claim to results in the area or claimed that election took place was a criminal.

The Rivers PDP chairman added that what happened on the election day was like scenes from a classical movie where military might was brazenly deployed to over-run a hapless and defenseless people.

“PDP had raised alarm over the invasion of some communities in Tai Local Government Area of the state by the combined forces of the army, police and scores of identifiable thugs imported by APC”, he said.

Obuah alleged that a top shot in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) took some hijacked  to his hotel where they thump-printed and wrote results, adding that he called on the Inspector General of Police and the army authorities to move in immediately and recover those materials.

“PDP, having reviewed the entire exercise last Saturday, came to the conclusion that there was no election in Khana Local Government Area. We call on INEC to cancel the rerun election in the local government area as it has been marred by irregularities and orchestrated violence by APC against members of the PDP.

“PDP also draws the attention of INEC, APC and its collaborators namely, Army, SARS and police which mortgaged their conscience to declare Magnus Abe, Barry Mpigi and the other APC candidates in Rivers South East winner to the consequences of going to equity with unclean hands.

“If Magnus Abe knows God, he cannot lay claim to stolen results. Thieves are not Christians, unless he is telling us that he is a thief. It is very ungodly to steal.  Magnus Abe and his cohorts have robed the people”, he declared.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, has said that the APC would reject the result of Rivers East Senatorial District rerun election.

Peterside, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), at a news conference in Port Harcourt, on Monday, said the collation of the district’s election results was marred with irregularities.

He said that information available to the party showed that results of some local government areas in the district had not been collated alleging that due process was not followed in announcing the results.

“You are aware that elections were inconclusive in Etche Local Government Area; the results for Emohua Local Government Area have not been collated and the results for Port Harcourt City Local Government Area were partially collated.

“The APC agent was beaten at the collation centre in Port Harcourt. Without him being present, the result was announced in favour of the PDP candidate. Whatever result is declared for Rivers East will be ridiculing democracy; APC will not accept any of that,” he said.

Peterside said APC would use constitutional means to resist the alleged irregularities.