*Calls for probe of INEC in Rivers
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Mr Sobomabo Jackrich, the Governorship Candidate of the National Rescue Movement(NRM) Party in Rivers,has rejected the result of the March,18, governorship election declared by INEC.
Jackrich in a press statement issued by Mr Chetam Nwala, the Spokesperson of the party in Rivers,disclosed this on Thursday in Port Harcourt.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, March, 21,declared Mr Siminalayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)the winner of the just concluded Governorship election in Rivers with 302,614 votes and Governor-Elect.
Jackrich said that the Party condemned the process,saying it was marred by irregularities,vote buying, thuggery, intimidation of voters and alleged killing of voters in some parts of the state by desperate politicians.
Jackrich stated that attacking and killing people during the election was a direct attack on democracy of the country.
He alleged that voters were flogged,brutally injured and molested in some parts of the states during the exercise.
He also alleged that a particular political party in the state instructed traditional rulers to use Town Criers to warn the residents not to come out for voting if they will not vote for a particular political party in the state.
According to Jackrich,the violence against voters and other political parties during the election was overwhelming and enough to cancel the election with alleged compromise by some adhoc staff of the Commission and some security agents.
He also alleged that Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)machines that were distributed at some polling units, and ballot boxes carted away.
National Rescue Movement,NRM, Governorship candidate further alleged that some adhoc staff refused to upload results into the INEC portals, while some BVAS machines were without SIM cards, among others.
According to the Jackrich, having outlined all the violent acts that took place during this election,the party has therefore rejected the outcome of the elections as it falls short of the minimum acceptable standards of a democratic election anywhere in the world.
“We have also lost faith in the electoral empire to deliver free, fair and credible elections where the popular will of the people will decide the faith of our state, we therefore declare a vote of no confidence in the Commission.
“We call for an Independent panel of inquiry to investigate the Independent National Electoral Commission and all the officers to weed out bad eggs in the Commission as a deliberate effort to sanitize our democracy,”he said.
He said that the Electoral body can be trusted worthy in the country if the bad eggs are weed out of the system.
He also called on International bodies,Civil Society Organisations(CSOs)and all lovers of democracy to condemn the act of impunity and sue for the right thing to be done.
“We also called on the security agencies to investigate the violence that marred the election and bring the perpetrators to book,”he said.
He said that the party will remain resolute in the quest to rescue the state to a better Rivers State within the ambit of the law.
The statement was jointly signed by the State Party Chairman,Mr Ibiyekaribo Peters,Dr Blessing Chinda, the State Secretary,Mr Chetam Nwala, the Spokesman of the Party.