Rivers Governorship Election: INEC releases names 17 LGAs already collated

….AAC storms out of INEC stakeholders meeting in Port
Harcourt.

The ongoing stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, to resume votes count for the
March 9 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in
Rivers State has suffered major hiccup following a walk-out by the
presumed winner of the governorship election, Biokpomabo Awara, of
the African Action Congress, AAC.

The meeting, ongoing at the OMNI Event Centre, Eastern By-Pass,
Port Harcourt, which also has in attendance Rivers State Governor,
Nyesom Wike, agreed that collation of the results which INEC had
suspended since Sunday, March 10, 2019 would resume as outlined by
the Commission.

Awara, who attended the meeting accompanied by AAC members and
members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who aided his
meteoric rise in the governorship race, alleged that the results
have already been compromised by the electoral body.

Awara complained that some stakeholders were not given
opportunity ask salient questions during meeting.

He also queried the fact the property where the meeting was held
is owned by a stunch member of the Peoples Democratic
Party,PDP.

However, Awara later returned to the venue thereafter.

However, addressing the stakeholders meeting on the resumption
of electoral activities for the completion of outstanding 2019
General Elections in Rivers State on Saturday, INEC National
Commissioner supervising Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers State, Mrs May
Agbamuche-Mbu said that the Collation will be carried out
transparently.

She said: “All the results are with us in our strong room. They
have not been tampered with. We are going to conduct the Collation
Transparently.

“INEC is here to complete this process and we shall complete the
process successfully “.

The INEC National Commissioner said though they don’t know the
winners of the elections, all the results are intact in INEC
custody.

“I can tell you for free that we don’t know the winners”.

She said that INEC will religiously follow the timelines
outlined by the commission for the Governorship Election Collation
of results.

The INEC Rivers State Head of Department, Legal, Mr Don Umealor
outlined the supplementary regulations and guidelines for the
conduct of elections.

He said all INEC Staff involved in the Collation of Results
shall conduct the process with transparency.

He said political parties will be given the opportunity to
comment on the process, but nobody would be allowed to disrupt the
Collation Process.

He stated that those entitled to be at the Collation Centre
include: Collation and Returning Officers, INEC Personnel, One
Polling Agent per party or Candidate, approved security officials,
properly accredited observers, properly accredited media persons
and any other person or organisation approved by INEC.

INEC also announced the 17 Local Government Areas where it has
collated results for the Rivers State Governorship Election.

Administrative Secretary of INEC, Rivers State, Elder Etim Umoh
listed the Local Government Areas to include: Ahoada East, Bonny,
Akuku-Toru, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Omuma, Port Harcourt,
Ikwerre, Emohua, Tai, Opobo-Nkoro, Andoni ,Eleme, Etche, Ogu–Bolo,
Oyigbo, Okrika.

He stated that the Local Government Areas where Collation have
not been concluded include: Khana, Asari-Toru, Degema, Ahoada West,
Abua/Odual and Gokana.

Speaking at the Stakeholders Meeting, Governor Wike blamed the
Nigerian Army for the violence witnessed during the collation of
the results.

He said that Rivers people raised alarm over the plot to unleash
violence in the state, but they were accused of always crying.

“The only way you can have peaceful election is when the
security agencies refuse to manipulate the elections. The Army
snatched results and when the people resisted them, the Army killed
them. The violence was at the point of Collation.

“Throughout my political career, I have never seen the kind of
role , the Army played. What has happened to the Police Officer
indicted for manhandling of INEC Staff during the rerun in 2016.
The same officer played negative roles in this last elections
“.

While declaring that Rivers State has always been peaceful,
except during elections when security agencies act negatively,
Governor Wike stated that the Nigerian Army should remove their
hands from election matters.

He stated that the security personnel for the Governorship
Election Collation should be made public to avoid illegal actions
during the process.

Former President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogonis,
Ledum Mitee urged INEC to publish the names of all security
personnel that would man the Collation Centre for transparency and
accountability.

Rivers State Candidate of the AAC, Mr Biokpomabo Awara demanded
to know who has the custody of the collated results.

He said the results ought to have been kept at the Central Bank
of Nigeria.

Immediate Past Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council,
Rivers State, Pastor Samuel Ihunwo said all results must emanate
from the polling units.

“We plead that soldiers should remain at the barracks. All those
causing mayhem cannot produce results of 10 polling units where
they won”, he said.