The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out the conduct of fresh governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State. Making the declaration at a meeting, INEC National Commissioner in-charge of Bayelsa, Rivers and Edo States, May Agbamuche-Mbu, emphasized that a fresh election would not be conducted in the state.
Irked by the comment of May, the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara, walked out of the stakeholders’ meeting even as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Labour Party (LP) boycotted the meeting.
Agbamuche-Mbu, who stated that the commission would resume collation in Rivers State on April 2, 2019, said the objective of the meeting is to brief stakeholders on the activities and schedule of the collation by the electoral body.
In his remarks at the meeting, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, who dismissed insinuations that the state is prone to violence, advocated the non-involvement of the military during elections to guarantee free, fair, credible and peaceful elections in the country.
Wike urged the commission to publish the list of security personnel that would be stationed at the collation center to avoid disruption of the process.
On his part, the state commissioner of police, Usman Balel, who assured that the police are committed to providing adequate security for the people, called on stakeholders to embrace peace and accept the outcome of the process.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, INEC Administrative Secretary in the state, Etim Umoh, said the commission is in possession of collated results of the March 9 election from 17 local government areas in the state.
Umoh listed the local government areas to include; Ahoada-East, Akuku-Toru, Bonny, Obio-Akpor, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Ogu/Bolo, Ikwerre, Emohua, Okrika, Oyigbo, Eleme, Andoni, Omuma, Tai, Etche and Port Harcourt City.
He listed Local Government Areas where collation of results would take place as Abua-Odual, Asari-Toru, Gokana, Ahoada-West, Khana and Degema.
He stated that the collation would hold at INEC headquarters in Port Harcourt between April 2 and April 5, while warning that only names of agents already submitted would be accepted
