Rivers elections: INEC says status quo as at March 9 remains, no fresh elections

The Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in charge of Rivers State, Obo Effanga, has disclosed that the planned schedule of activities for the continuation of the suspended electoral process for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections on March 9, will not be changed.

The Administrative Secretary in the state, Elder Etim Umoh, representing Effanga said: “In order to ensure credible process, INEC has sent seasoned electoral officers, led by the National Commissioner in charge of Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo States, Barr. May Agbamuche-Mbu, who is the chairman of this occasion. Political parties that participated in the March 9 elections should submit the names of their agents. We are not conducting fresh elections. The status quo as at March 9 remains.

“We have the results for these seventeen LGAs: Ahoada East, Akuku-Toru, Andoni, Bonny, Eleme, Emohua, Etche, Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika, Omuma, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo, Port Harcourt and Tai. Their (17 LGAs) collation was at the local government level. Collation was not completed in the remaining six LGAs: Abua/Odual, Ahoada West, Asari-Toru, Degema, Gokana and Khana.

“In Abua/Odual LGA, the materials and men did not even go out to the field. They were frustrated from going out and elections did not take place there. In Gokana LGA, materials and men went out to the field, but none came back, because there was outright violence and everything was destroyed. So, we do not have any result from there.

“In Ahoada West LGA, out of about 100 polling units, we have results in only 24 and that is not good enough. Asari-Toru LGA was not concluded, but we have the polling units’ results available, but they were not collated. Degema LGA has 17 registration areas, which we call wards in INEC’s context, and collation took place in ten, remaining seven. The seven wards, their results are in INEC’s strong room. In Khana LGA, there was no collation at the local government level, but we have results from the polling units and the collation from some wards available.

“INEC, in its mandate to conduct free, fair and credible elections in Rivers State, decided to come with a timetable (timeline) to let the people know how to ensure the collation and to know the winners.”

Effanga noted that before the suspension order came from Abuja on March 10, collation had commenced, with INEC now resuming the collation.

Stating further that the collation, scheduled for between April 2 and 5, will take place at the INEC’s office on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.

Earlier, the National Commissioner of INEC in charge of Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo States, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, who chaired the stakeholders’ meeting in the absence of INEC chairman Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, said: ”We do not have any other state, apart from Rivers State, to call our own. Let us join hands together to make Rivers State even greater. On the part of the commission, I wish to assure you of our commitment to free, fair and credible elections. We intend to keep these promises. May God, in His kindness, grant Rivers State perpetual peace.

“The results of the March 9 elections in Rivers State are with us (INEC) in our strong room and they have not been tampered with.

“A five-man fact-finding committee was therefore set up to ascertain the nature and verify the report of obstructive and lawless activities that generally attended the elections at the state collation centre, other collation centres and polling areas, occasioning the suspension. I was a member of the fact-finding committee. So, I know what I am talking about.

“The main objective of this meeting is to brief you on the schedule of activities and timeline, set by the commission for the conclusion of the governorship and state House of Assembly elections, and to solicit for your maximum cooperation towards the success of this exercise. It is also to generate discussions among the stakeholders, with a view to achieving transparent, peaceful and violence-free conclusion of the elections, within the timeline set by the commission.”

Also in attendance at the Stakeholders meeting, which held at Omni event centre along Eastern bypass, in Port Harcourt, ahead of the Tuesday  resumption of collation of results of  the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections, was the Garrison Commander of 6 Division Garrison, Brig.-Gen. Adeola Kalejaiye who stood in for the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Army, Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, the State  Commissioner of Police, Usman Belel, the state  Chairman of   PDP, Chief Felix Obuah; Ledum Mitee of Initiative for Credible Elections (ICE), representatives of the Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Customs, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as top politicians and other eminent personalities were also in attendance.