Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that the Independent
National Electoral Commission is planning to announce a result of a rerun election it had
earlier cancelled.
INEC had suspended the rerun election in Tai Local Government Area and seven other
LGAs during the exercise that was held on March 19, 2016 following reports of
violence.
A committee led by Prof. Anthonia Simbini had been established by the INEC Chairman,
Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, to look into the circumstances surrounding the suspension of
the rerun election in the eight local government areas of the state.
But the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, who briefed
newsmen in Port Harcourt, said the National Commissioner in charge of operations in
INEC, Hajia Amina Zakari, had concluded plans to announce a result for Tai LGA.
Nwanosike also alleged that INEC had already allocated 30,000 votes to the All
Progressives Congress in the result that might soon be announced by the commission.
“A funny situation is about to play itself out. A situation where someone by name Mrs.
Amina Zakari, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of operations, is doing
everything to make sure that the results that are released satisfy the needs of her
paymasters, the APC in Rivers State, is unacceptable.
“Zakari has decided to shift the goal post from place to place to break the laws of INEC
which organises and conducts elections in Nigeria. She is insisting that Tai election
results be announced and we are asking, in whose interest?
“We are asking a very fundamental question: where on earth is the result that Zakari
wants to bring in coming from? From where did they get the 30,000 votes they have
allocated to the APC?
“Why will they bring in an illegal document that is not recognised by law? In the result,
they gave the APC 30,000 votes and the PDP zero. We hereby call that Tai election
remains cancelled until election is conducted in that local government area,” he added.
But the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in the state, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak,
maintained that he was not aware of the allegations being made by the state PDP.
Explaining that he was not in Port Harcourt, Ikoiwak pointed out that Mrs. Zakari was out
of the country and wondered how such allegations could be levelled against her.
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