Rivers Guber Poll: 16 Political Parties Besiege INEC, Demand Removal of REC
Accuse REC of working for Wike Accuse her of complicity in distribution of N15m
Ahead of the Saturday governorship elections, a coalition of 16 political parties in Rivers State yesterday stormed the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the immediate removal of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ms. Gesilia Khan.
The coalition of the political parties accused the REC of conniving with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike.
They also called for the removal of the Head of Operations at INEC, Mr. Bocco Ekong, for conniving with the REC.
The political parties that stormed the commission and signed the petition addressed to the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, included Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Mega Progressive People’s Party (MPPP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Action Alliance (AA) United Democratic Party (UDP), All Progressives Alliance (APA).
Others were Independent Democrats (ID), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Citizens Popular Party (CPP), Accord Party (AP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD).
In their petition, they referred to an earlier petition on the need to cancel the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections in Rivers State on the grounds that they were characterised by INEC’s collusion with the PDP to compromise the process.
They listed 25 allegations against the REC including that she took over the postings of ad hoc electoral personnel, recruited well known PDP members as supervisory presiding officers, substituting well trained corps members with a list of names from the PDP governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike.
They also alleged that under her directive, “Wike supervised the collation of results at the state collation centre even though she knew full well that he is not the PDP state agent. The PDP agent was Emeka Woke.”
They also saidthe REC and Mr. Boco held 14 meetings with Wike at his residence to collaborate in all the plots to sway the election in way of PDP.
They also alleged that “she facilitated the disbursement of N15million bribe money given by Wike to each Electoral Officer.”
They said: “While we wait a formal and final resolution of the said March 28 petition, we write to state that Ms. Gesilia Khan, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), was hand in gloves with the perpetrators of the activities that led to impinging her integrity of the election as it is clear to all objective observers that without her complicity in the activities, the subversion of the electoral process would not have been possible.
“We are aware that no allegation against a public officer should be made lightly or for any purpose other than as envisaged by law, which is the reason we have been painstaking in ensuring that the statements and facts here presented are all easily verifiable and accurate against the person of the REC such that no responsible political party or commission should allow the ignoble situation to persist.”
Members of the political parties who came in their hundreds, arrived the premises of INEC as early as 7a.m. with placards, chanting loudly as police formed a three-layer barricades to stop them from encroaching the premises of the commission.
However,
the
Director of Security Services at INEC, Shettima Ngillada, received the leaders of the protesting political parties and led them to meet leadership of the commission and to submit their petition accordingly.
Ngillada, after emerging from the meeting with the leaders of the protesting parties and members of INEC leadership, assured them that the commission would look into their petition.
While he thanked them for being orderly in their protest, Ngillada said: “Your three nominees of the protest groups came with us and the complaint has already been taken to the office of the INEC chairman. The protest letter has been submitted and has been acknowledged. Your complain will not be thrown away.
“And by the grace of God, the chairman and commission will look into your complain, that is the assurance I can give. We want to thank you for the way you organised yourself.”