7 Parties Demand Cancellation Of Rivers LG Poll

Less than 24 hours after Rivers State governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike swore in the newly elected chairmen of the 23 local government councils, seven political parties in the state have called for the cancellation of the election.

The seven political parties include the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), the Labour Party (LP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Democratic Alliance (DA), Mega Progressives Peoples Party (MPPP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The political parties, in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting in Port Harcourt yesterday, alleged there was no display of the original result sheets during the election across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Chairman of APDA in the state, Mr Warigbani Ezekiel, who read the communiqué on behalf of state chairmen of the concerned political parties, further alleged that original electoral officers were replaced with card carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ezekiel, alleged that officials of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) were caught on cameras thumb printing for candidates of the PDP.

He said, “We observed that throughout the 4,442 polling units, the 319 wards and the 23 local government areas of the state, there was no result sheets, no voters accreditation. The original EOs (Electoral Officers and Assistant EOs were sacked immediately after the primaries and were replaced by PDP card carrying members.

“Officials of RSIEC were caught on cameras thumb printing for candidates of the PDP. Evidence of these allegations would be made open to the general public soon. Therefore,  we call on RSIEC to retrieve same and nullify the election.”