The coalition of Rivers NGOs has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to investigate and arrest the Rivers Electoral Commission, Mr. Obong Effanga, Etim Umoh and their partners in crime.
In a Press release by the coalition of Rivers NGOs and signed by Somina Wokoma Convener, along with eight other signatories.
The press release reads,
The coalition of Rivers NGOs is an amalgamation of both indigenous and other NGOs in Rivers State convened to project and protect the peace, unity and development of our dear State.
We closely monitored the March 9th governorship and Assembly elections and we are alarmed by the treachery exhibited by the State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Obong Effanga and his staff , especially the Admin Secretary who openly collaborated with the incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike in trying to manipulate the governorship election in his favour failing which Mr Effanga had the effrontry to wrongly advise INEC headquarters to suspend a smoothly running election.
We the members of the coalition, true sons and daughters of Rivers State and law abiding citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wish to state as follows:
1. That the suspension of the election process was a well orchestrated move by Governor Nyesom Wike and his co-conspirators, Obong Effanga and Elder Etim Umoh of Rivers State INEC.
2. That since the suspension of the collation of results in the State on March 10, 2019, the outgoing Governor Nyesom Wike and the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner Obong Effanga have been re-writing and doctoring unit results already collated in Rivers State Government House to favour Wike.
3. The suspension of the largely smooth running electoral process in the State is a flagrant violation of section 26 of the electoral Act. 2010 (as amended).
4. INEC’s refusal to publish the names of the aclaimed collated seventeen(17) LGA’s and the outstanding Six(6) LGA’s is a clear act of deceit and treachery & confirmation of our long held suspicion that all is not well with the current Rivers INEC team .
5. That the clearly and openly compromised actions of Obong Effanga and Elder Etim Umoh have made us lose confidence in them to complete the process as this will be tantamount to Wike being also the umpire in his own election. We will resist this to our last blood.
6. The activities of the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner Obong Effanga and the Administrative secretary Elder Etim Umoh is a breach of public trust and abuse of public powers.
7 We have it on record the Governor Wike through the Rivers State REC Obong Effanga secretly changed the list of the Collation and Returning Officers who conducted the presidential election and replaced them with card-carrying members of the PDP who realising that the elections were not favouring their paymaster, triggered the illegal suspension order by INEC
8. We hereby inform these conspirators against the sovereign will of our people that we know them by name and have all their details . We will not sit idle and watch them destroy the peace of our State and return Scot free to their own States. The coalition will act as one United body to ensure that the Rivers State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obong Effanga and the Administrative Secretary, Elder Etim Umoh and all those who are a party this nefarious activity are held responsible for any break-down of law & order in the State.
9. We warn the national security agencies of an impending breakdown of law and order should unholy alliance/collaboration with Wike to force himself on Rivers People using INEC and the Jidiciary is not nipped in the bud right away
10. We are sure that by now the intelligence agencies have confirmed that if not for the highly professional conduct of the security agencies especially the Military in protecting the electorate during that elections, Governor Wike and his thugs dressed on military uniforms would have turned Rivers State into an ocean of blood, worse than what they did in the 2015 general elections.
SEQUEL TO THE AFOREMENTIONED; WE DEMAND THAT:
1. The Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner Obong Effanga and the administrative secretary Elder Etim Umoh be redeployed with immediate effect to forestall any foul play that will lead making our dear Rivers State a theatre of war..
2. We call on the INEC Chairman Prof. Yakubu Mamood to replace them with people of integrity and sound reputation that cannot be bought over by tyrant Governor Nyesom Wike and his blood sucking thugs; we also call on EFCC and other agencies to as a matter of urgency investigate and arrest Obong Effanga, Elder Etim Umoh and their partners in crime.
We remain faithful in the service of our State and Nation.
Signed
Somina Wokoma
Convener , along with eight other signatories.
