Agitation continues in Rivers over legislative polls
Agitations over the outcome of last Saturday’s
National Assembly elections continued yesterday in Rivers State with
some opposition parties seeking alternatives to get their grievances
addressed. The People’s Democratic Party had swept Saturday’s polls,
based on results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission of
Nigeria. But between Sunday and Monday, opposition parties issued
statements condemning the conduct of the elections, with the Action
Congress of Nigeria calling for a cancellation. Yesterday, the All
Progressives Grand Alliance took their discontent a step further by
sending a petition to the electoral commission’s chair, Attahiru Jega.
The five-page petition was titled “Electoral Malpractices and Other
Irregularities in Rivers State During the National Assembly elections
held on Saturday, April 9, 2011.” It was signed by Terry Godfrey, the
state chairman of the party and Precious Barido, its secretary. The
inspector-general of police and director of the Department of State
Services were also copied in the petition. Copies of the petition were
given to journalists around 2pm yesterday after a press briefing at the
Celestine Omehia Campaign Organisation headquarters, in Port Harcourt.
Mr Omehia is APGA’s governorship candidate for Rivers State.
The petition
In the petition, APGA complained of “police brutality
and intimidation”, and “criminal interference of government officials
in election matters”.
“In ward one (1) of Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers
State, the Divisional Police Officer for Abua, Uche Mike Chukwuma,
intimidated and brutalized persons who turned out to vote in Units 2,
3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 of the ward.
The action disrupted the voting process in the units identified above.
But inspite of this, fictitious election results were declared in the
same units,” read a point in the petition.
Leave a Reply