Rivers governorship tussle: PDP accuses INEC of writing false reports for APC

Wike and Peterside

The Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party claimed today that some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state have been writing false reports about the governorship election held on 11 April.

INEC in the result declared said Governor Nyesom Wike bwon the poll.

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Dakuku Peterside has sued both INEC and Wike at the Election Tribunal, calling for its nullification, on grounds of irregularities andvasking that he be declared the winner.

The petition being heard in Abuja, the Federal capital, has been dogged by APC complaint that the INEC has not fully complied with the tribunal order to allow inspection of the election materials, including the ballot papers.

But in dramatic turn, the PDP today alleged criminal conspiracy and falsification of document by some INEC staff.

”For the umpteenth time, we draw the attention of the public to the criminal conspiracy and falsification of document and reports by some staff of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Rivers State, with their All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers State paymasters and collaborators,” the chairman of the party, Felix Obuah said today.

”We have uncovered the production of a fake report by a syndicate of corrupt personnel in the election monitoring unit of INEC Rivers led by one Charles Okoye. The said Charles Okoye, Cosmos Ukalu and Amadi Romanus working in concert with the Rivers State APC Chairman and one Mr. Achi have originated a fake election report covering the Local Government Areas in Rivers State to the effect that there was no election in the State during 2015 elections.

”The said report is coming almost five (5) months after the election and backdated with the plan of getting a certified true copy of same to be used at the Election Petition Tribunals, with the sole aim of nullifying the 2015 elections in Rivers State.

” We uncovered further that the plan of the APC is to apply for a subpeona to be issued on the said corrupt officers who will appear at the Tribunal to tender the fake reports and give evidence as facts coming from INEC.

” This concocted report made five (5) months after the election is in clear contradiction with the report of a three (3) man INEC monitoring team set up by Professor Attahiru Jega, then INEC Chairman to supervise the Governorship election in the State, based on the petition of APC.

”The said concocted report is also contrary to the INEC Reports released immediately after the elections from various Local Governments and the report of other election monitors as well as the life broadcast of several television stations which clearly showed Rivers people voting at the elections including the APC Governorship candidate (Dakuku Peterside) and his wife and the former Governor of Rivers State Rotimi Amaechi and his wife.”

Obuah said he is drawing attention to ”these very dubious public officers of the criminal consequences of their act to whom criminal charges will be pressed against at the appropriate time.”