In an exclusive interview with SaharaTV, Rivers State Governor Rotimi
Amaechi says that he believes that today’s presidential elections held
in River State were irreparably compromised, and the results must be
cancelled.
Amaechi, all All Progressives Congress (APC) leader,
alleges that interference on the party of the ruling party, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), has adversely influenced the result of the
contest. Claiming the PDP is working with officials and security agents
to rig the contest by withholding result sheets, Amaechi says the
results of the election today in Rivers cannot be trusted.
“The
police [are] arresting everyone that is arrestable, the police carrying
ballot boxes, they are also aiding PDP supporters,” Amaechi said.
He
added all the election equipment and materials, especially result
sheets, are in PDP agent hands. "I couldn’t vote. In the country, we’re
doing very well. In Rivers State, we discovered that all the SPOs
(supervising presiding officers) have stolen all the result sheets and
disappeared. So we said that there will be no election until we see the
result sheets."
Amaechi claims he was accompanied by members of
the press, for purposes of documenting the developments there. "I went
with cameramen. I went with Channels, AIT and NTA. They did not see
anywhere that we went to that you could identify that there were result
sheets."
Expressing his disappointment with INEC’s management of
the electoral process in Rivers State, Amaechi also listed the names of
officials he claims are working for the PDP, and how their affiliations
ultimately jeopardize the contest. "Don’t forget that the INEC
commissioner here was employed by the president,” he said. “So as far as
she’s concerned, she says that there was an election and that all the
result sheets are in the field."
The two-term governor stated
that voters in Rivers State should be calm, and not resort to violence.
His statement comes as reports of violence grow, according to
conversations with representatives from the CLEEN Foundation.
At
the time of this report, yet another death was reported at a ward in
Ogale, Eleme local government area in Rivers State. This joins a string
of violent and criminal incidences that have characterized election day
in the state.
Social Plugin