• As Rivers APC Demands Suspension of Resident Electoral Commissioner
• Explains Why Gov Amaechi Asked for INEC Results Sheet
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned against any attempt to tamper with the results of the elections that were concluded nationwide on Saturday, saying Nigerians have voted peacefully and massively and they know who they have voted for.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it has the authentic results from every polling unit where voting took place on Saturday, and will not accept anything contrary to those signed results.
It decried the dangerous kite now being flown by the PDP, through some of their paid media channels, seeking to appropriate unearned victories across the nation.
”We have always said we will accept the result of any free, fair and transparent elections. We stand by that avowal. However, what we will not accept – and which we are sure Nigerians themselves will reject – is any move to rewrite the results and thwart the will of the people under any guise. We will not accept that.
”We have heard of the desperate moves to cancel the results in areas where the APC has beaten the PDP embarrassingly. Nigerians will definitely not accept that,” APC said.
The party said it is aware of the ongoing efforts to force Electoral Officers and Presiding Officers in Imo State, some of whom are being picked up by the military as we write, to rewrite the results of the
elections in the state.
”We have the results from every polling unit in Imo State and we know that we have won in over 80 per cent in the presidential election. So there must be no shenanigans,” it warned.
APC also said the same attempts are being made in Sokoto, Enugu, Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos and other states, wondering why anyone will be seeking to reverse the results that are already settled.
”In the Nsukka Local Government Area, INEC officials, instead of collating results, handed over the exercise to PDP Nsukka zone to write. They holed up inside ADADA HOUSE (a Local Government guest house) to write results and change figures, and were provided with security by the police. APC candidates and agents were chased away. In collaboration with INEC, they refused to let the card readers function and no result sheets came to most polling booths.
”In Lagos, they have yet to announce the result of the Apapa Local Government which has been ready since yesterday, apparently in a move to manipulate the outcome. Those who voted will not agree with any attempt to steal their votes,” the party warned.
Rivers APC Demands Suspension of Resident Electoral Commissioner
•Explains Why Gov Amaechi Asked for INEC Results Sheet
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded the immediate suspension of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Gesila Khan, for colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig last weekend’s presidential and National Assembly elections in the State.
“For Mrs. Khan to have removed the INEC result sheets in all the polling units in the State with the intention of rigging the polls is a very serious criminal offence. Mrs. Khan should not only be suspended but should not be allowed to conduct the April 11 Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections, as well as the Presidential and National Assembly elections when rescheduled,” the party said in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.
Rivers APC commended INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for acknowledging the party’s petition on the evil practices associated with the polls in Rivers State. “We are very convinced that if our case is thoroughly investigated it will be confirmed that the State REC, Mrs. Khan, compromised her office and tarnished the good image of INEC,” the party stated.
It defended the action of the State Governor, R. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, in requesting to see the INEC result sheets and other sensitive materials for the conduct of last weekend’s polls, saying: “The Governor took that step as we were aware that the State REC had traded off the result sheets to PDP to write the results as they deemed fit. Amaechi wanted to prevent a situation whereby people would queue to vote while PDP and INEC would write a different result not reflecting the true voting pattern in the State.”
Rivers APC condemned the conduct of soldiers deployed for the election, saying that contrary to court order, PDP not only used the army to intimidate APC supporters and coerce Rivers State voters to vote for PDP.
“It is sad that the PDP leadership in Rivers State could be so callous to arm the youths in order to kill and maim Rivers State people because of election. We know that Rivers people are peace-loving and arming some of the youths at this time does not do anyone any good because it may be difficult to retrieve some of these arms from these youths later, thereby constituting a serious security challenge,” Rivers APC said.
It declared that Rivers PDP does not have any agenda to move the State forward, which informed its rejection by Rivers people. “As a party we will do everything humanly possible to ensure that the verdict and wishes of Rivers State people are implemented and that they are allowed to vote without any intimidation or coercion,” Ikanya said
