Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release results of the Rivers East and Rivers West senatorial districts untampered with, declaring that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates won in both districts, based on results from polling units.
He also called on INEC to immediately release the results of Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency and Andoni State Constituency which he said were also won by PDP.
This was as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Rivers South East in the rerun election, Senator Magnus Abe, claimed that he had been declared victorious in the rerun election in the district.
Wike, in a statement issued by his media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, said it never happened in the history of elections in the state that declaration of results in the Rivers East Senatorial District would exceed 24 hours.
He alleged that the result of Rivers East was held down as part of the plot of INEC, the army and the police to manipulate the results of Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas for the purpose of concocting the senatorial results in favour of APC.
“As I speak with you, they are doing everything possible to rewrite the result of Emohua Local Government Area to ensure that APC wins,” he said, adding that since the conclusion of voting, INEC had been playing pranks, moving collation back and forth from Emohua to Port Harcourt to create room for rigging.
“For now, all the collation officers have refused to be compelled to declare false results. As such, the collation officers have left and INEC has resorted to using her internal staff for the collation of results.
“Release Rivers East Senatorial District where Senator George Sekibo has won clearly. Release Rivers West Senatorial District where Senator Osinakachukwu Ideozu has won clearly. INEC should release Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency where Abiante has won and Andoni State Constituency where Ikunyi Ibani has won clearly”, he said.
He described as unfortunate the alleged deliberate use of the Nigerian Army to deny PDP agents access to collation centres so that INEC staff can concoct results.
Meanwhile, Senator Magnus Abe has been declared the senator-elect, following the rerun election held in Rivers South East Senatorial District, on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by his media aide, Saroh Benson, INEC returning officer for the Rivers South East Senatorial District election, Professor Onuekwusi Chinedum, said Abe polled a total of 125,938 votes while Olaka Nwogu of PDP scored 25,394 votes.
Also, he stated that Kingsley Onyekwere (LP) scored 549, Comrade Oke Brown, (NNPP), 46 and Brown Elfreda (UDP), 99 votes respectively.
The statement quoted the INEC returning officer as saying, “Magnus Abe of the APC, having certified the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”