Rivers APC Crisis: INEC Insists APC has no candidates in R/S

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted that Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) has no candidates.

This is also coming days after the Appeal Court’s judgment on the situation in the state.

An Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Ali Gumel, granted a stay on Justice Kolawole Omotosho’s judgment on the fielding of candidates by APC in Rivers State.

Thus, the party wanted the commission to restore the names of its candidates removed as a result of the internal crisis within the party.

But, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Voter Education and Publicity Festus Okoye said the commission had taken a position.

Okoye, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at an interactive meeting with reporters revealed that the position of the commission has not changed in respect of Rivers State APC candidates for the National Assembly and governorship elections.

He, however, stressed that if there is a change in the situation of things, the commission would meet to review its stand.

He said: “We have taken a decision relating to the issue of Rivers and if anything changes before we take our final decision, the commission will meet and also take a decision. But we have not taken any other decision and we have not repealed our position on the issue of Rivers.”

Meanwhile, concerning ongoing preparations for the elections,  Okoye stated that the commission has begun the deployment of sensitive materials and non-sensitive materials to states ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

Sensitive materials are the ballot papers, result sheets and the rest.

According to INEC, while non-sensitive materials were being delivered to local government offices of the commission, the sensitive materials were lodged in the Central Bank vaults in the states.

He stated that some local councils have already received delivery of non-sensitive materials such as mats, mattresses, among others, preparatory to next week’s presidential election.

INEC has fixed February 16 for the presidential and National Assembly polls while March 2 has been slated for the governorship, state Assembly and council elections.