The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security operatives in Saturday’s National and State Assembly rerun elections in Rivers state falls short of the expected standard, given the level of mobilization and preparedness.
The PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh on Monday, said it is disappointing that INEC, under the leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has not been able to conduct any conclusive election in few constituencies and states so far and wondered what would be the case when the entire country is involved.Also grossly unacceptable is the shoddy work by security operatives leading to escalation of violence, avoidable deaths and eventual cancellation of election results in eight local Government areas in the state.
The party said the nation and the international community should hold INEC, security operatives and the All Progressives Congress (APC) responsible should there be a breakdown of law and order in the state over the non-release of the final results. The party said the only reason for the seizure of the results is the fact that the PDP candidates were in clear and overwhelming victory in all the reruns, prompting the APC, in connivance with INEC, to seek to use the delay to manipulate the results. The statement read: “Nigerians and the international community can now see the desperation of the APC, which has now arm-twisted INEC in the unholy bid to alter the results of the elections and subvert the will of the people. “We want the APC and INEC to mark the salient fact that the PDP, the people of Rivers state and indeed all Nigerians are already aware of the results from respective polling centers, wards and local government areas and will in no way whatsoever accept any final result that does not tally with the actual and already established figures from the polling units. “We wish to remind the APC and INEC that Rivers state is a known stronghold of the PDP and the results from the elections cannot show otherwise.
INEC should therefore understand that Nigerians are aware that in withholding the final results, they are ostensibly preparing grounds for chaos in the state. “While we invite all to note the avoidable growing tension occasioned by the desperation of the APC to steal the mandate of the people, we caution INEC to extricate itself from the evil web and immediately release all the final results of the ballot as cast by the people and nothing more.”
