…Warns INEC Over Mpigi, Abe’s Frequent Visits To Abuja Office
The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says it’s aware of the surreptitious moves by Messrs Barry Mpigi and Magnus Abe, both candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Oyigbo, Eleme, Tai Federal Constituency and Rivers South/East Senatorial District respectively in the March 19 re-run elections to influence and stampede the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to release results for the four Ogoni local government council areas where the elections did not hold on account of their suspension by the INEC, even before the commencement of accreditation of voters onSaturday March 19, 2016.
Information from the office of the State PDP chairman, Bro Felix Obuah and signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam has it that though it’s public knowledge and not in doubt that the re-run elections in Tai, Khana, Eleme, Gokana and Andoni Local Government Areas were suspended by the INEC due to reported cases of fake result sheets and hijacking of election materials by these desperate APC candidates working in tandem with compromised military men, the duo of Mpigi and Abe have been hobnobbing with Mrs Amina Zakari of the INEC to dare the unexpected by declaring election results for those areas where election was suspended.
They are particularly working on declaring election results in Tai Local Government Area, with the help of Mrs Amina Zakari, in favour of Magnus Abe and Barry Mpigi, All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates.
Describing the move as dangerous, the State PDP chairman, Bro Obuah warned that contemplating such sinister plot is enough provocation let alone executing it.
He appealed to INEC’s Amina Zakari not to succumb to the snare because the Rivers people will not and cannot tolerate such a letdown and, or affront.
The PDP, the Chairman noted, as a grassroots party is not afraid of any re-run election anywhere any day in the State and only expects the INEC to do the needful, by releasing the results for only those places the elections were conclusive, and not areas were elections were suspended, and also conduct fresh re-run elections in the areas they were either inconclusive or outrightly cancelled or suspended as in Ogoni and Andoni Areas.
He queried the rationale for the regular visits to the Abuja office of the INEC by Mr Magnus Abe and Barry Mpigi as though they are staff of the commission, describing the development as worrisome. They were spotted in INEC office in Abuja on Thursday and Friday respectively.
“We are not raising alarm because we are afraid of anybody but this has to be made public so that these plotters will know that there is no way we will allow the abominable act to succeed.
We therefore advise that rather than looking for a way where there is none, they should either throw in the towel or prepared to test their popularity and acceptability to the people in another round of elections.
On our own party, we are ready any day and will definitely come out tops and perhaps, that is why they are jittery and want to go about it through the back door which is criminal and unacceptable”, Bro Obuah stated.
