Daily Trust

Tonye Cole seeks INEC apology over Rivers’ elections

- By Abbas Jimoh

Tonye Cole, the APC governorsh­ip candidate in Rivers on Tuesday called on INEC to apologise to the people of the state.

The Director of Strategic Communicat­ions of Tonye Cole Campaign Organizati­on in Rivers, Prince Tonye Princewill, said recent events had vindicated the state chapter of the APC.

Princewill in a statement, on Tuesday, said the Independen­t National Electoral Commission (INEC) had no option than to apologize to the people of Rivers State, especially going by the verdict passed by the Nigerian Army.

The Nigerian Army had on Monday said it felt betrayed after INEC indicted soldiers who worked closely with armed thugs and perpetrate­d violence that forced the suspension of the elections in the state last week.

Princewill said the statement by the army only confirmed their (APC) position on the suspicious stand of INEC.

He said the issues surroundin­g the stalemate in Rivers wouldn’t have degenerate­d if the advice they gave was taken seriously, saying those that mattered quietly dismissed them as just being biased.

“Now that people have heard from an institutio­n with even more integrity, the biases of INEC and their underhand tactics have been laid bare for everyone else to also see.

“How INEC recovers from this remains to be seen, but suffice to say that they can no longer speak with the freedom of the benefit of doubt they have been enjoying, from not only Nigerians but from the internatio­nal community as well,” he said.

 ?? Photo: NAN ?? Supporter of PDP governorsh­ip candidate in Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Mohammed at the Independen­t National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Bauchi yesterday.
Photo: NAN Supporter of PDP governorsh­ip candidate in Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Mohammed at the Independen­t National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Bauchi yesterday.

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