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Tag: Rivers apc

  • Fubara plotting to procure orders to declare Rivers Assembly illegitimate – APC

    Fubara plotting to procure orders to declare Rivers Assembly illegitimate – APC

    Rivers state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) has accused the governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara of plotting to procure interim orders from some judges to declare the Martins Amaewhule-led State House of Assembly as illegitimate.

    Tony Okocha ,the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the APC in Rivers State made the accusations public on Thursday during a press briefing in Port Harcourt.

    Okocha refused to mention the names of the supposed  judges but promised to release their names by the time he files a petition to the Nigeria Judicial Council, NJC concerning the matter.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Fubara dares to surprise anyone in the state who has got plans to distract him as he governs the state in line with the political solution as agreed with President Bola Tinubu few months ago in Abuja.

     

  • Again, Rivers APC attacks Wike, says he’s too ashamed to join them

    Again, Rivers APC attacks Wike, says he’s too ashamed to join them

    The Rivers state chapter of the  All Progressives Congress, (APC) has denied ever inviting the immediate past governor of the state, Nyesom Wike to join the party.

    APC described those making the claims and the calls for Wike to join their party as imposters.

    in a statement signed and released by the the Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, he said that Wike is too ashamed of joining the same party he had described as cancer.

    Nwauju said the terror unleashed on APC members during Wike’s administration is enough evidence to confirm that Wike has no business with Rivers State APC.

    The Spokesman of APC, therefore, disassociated the leadership of the party from any “so-called” stakeholders meeting, suggesting that the party and its benefits be handed over to Wike.

    He dared anyone to provide video evidence of Wike campaigning openly for the APC in the state in the just concluded election.

    Nwauju reiterated the party’s resolve to lend one hundred percent support to the policies and programs of the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu.

    The statement, however, warned those they described as blackmailers to desist from the shameless tradition of using the name of the APC to curry favor from, “desperate politicians seeking relevance at the centre.”

  • 2023: Rivers APC ask court to disqualify all PDP candidates

    2023: Rivers APC ask court to disqualify all PDP candidates

    The Rivers state All Progressives Congress APC has sued the Peoples Democratic Party,( PDP) it’s governorship candidate, Sim Fubara. thirty-one others and the Independent National Electoral Commission, to the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, citing issues of neglect of electoral act.

    Consequently, the APC has now called on the court to serve notice of disqualification to all PDP candidates whose names weren’t forwarded and the failure to properly sign the document as and when due.

    Meanwhile, APC counsel CC Dike moved a motion exparte for substituted service to all the respondents when the case was mentioned in court on Tuesday.

    The court subsequently granted the order which allows the plaintiff to serve the respondents by pasting the court processes on their building.

    Presiding Judge, Justice, Ayuah Phoebe before adjourning till 31st of August, 2022 for hearing, directed the plaintiff to effect service to the respondents before the next adjourned date.

  • Violence, not solution to Rivers APC crisis – APC

    Violence, not solution to Rivers APC crisis – APC

    Former representative of Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has declared that violence is not a solution to the lingering crisis rocking All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.
    Abe, who made the declaration at the inauguration of Eleme Local Government Chapter of the Rivers Voice of Freedom (RVF), which was held at Eleme, spoke on the heels of a reported attack on one of his supporters in Eleme on Saturday.
    He said: “I am a proud member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). I am one of the founders and leaders of the party. Nobody can wish that away and nobody can take that away. If you have contributed, you have contributed. And all of here have contributed. Without us, there can be no APC in the State.
    “That said, you are aware of the current activities going on in the party. You are aware we have been excluded by those powers that be in the State; deliberately to push all of us out of the party for no other reason than associating with Senator Magnus Abe. And I am happy that you have continued to associate with me. I will also continue to associate with you.”The second thing I would say is, we should all fear God. Yesterday (Saturday), when they heard that I would come for the inauguration of Eleme Chapter of Rivers Voice of Freedom, the Minister’s people came here and attacked the man (his supporter).

    “They poured petrol on the young man, a lawyer, who was here to set up a banner (for the inauguration). They poured petrol and set fire on the banner. And they were ready to unleash mayhem on this place because they do not want Senator Abe to be here and they do not want to see Senator Abe.

    “I am a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria is a democracy, and we have rights and freedom of association in this country and we are exercising our rights. This is not a parallel congress of any party. Even in places where they held parallel congresses, nobody was set on fire.
    “In Rivers State, we are blessed. The national leadership of the party has been to this state more than three times. They have heard us; they issued a statement that they would come here to do revalidation and registration, which was not properly done.
    “They issued a statement that they would address the challenges of APC in Rivers State. They have given that commitment. And we are prepared to abide by that commitment and wait for what the national will say.”
    Senator Abe said they (his supporters) had not sponsored attack or bought arms for anyone, advising politicians that they should not be intoxicated of power.
    He declared: “We have not sponsored any attacks on anybody. We have not bought guns for anybody to go and fight anybody. We have not abused anybody. We have not done anything to take away any other person’s right.
    “Therefore, nobody should try to kill you or try to kill us, or try to set people on fire, or try to deny us our rights to freely associate and do what politicians do, which is talk to the people. And we will talk to the people.
    “Everybody should fear God. I am saying this to the newly inaugurated EXCO of RVF in Eleme and I am saying this to all of us in this country. Let us fear God. Power is only temporary. And no matter how sweet power is, it will either leave you, or you leave power. It is not forever.”
  • Rivers APC, No Place for violence: It’s time to move forward-Abe

    Rivers APC, No Place for violence: It’s time to move forward-Abe

    Former representative of Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has appealed to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State to denounce violence and resists the temptation of being provoked to attack anyone.

    Abe, in a statement he personally signed titled: “RIVERS APC, NO PLACE FOR VIOLENCE: ITS TIME TO MOVE FORWARD” insisted that a political disagreement does not amount to a land dispute neither a communal riot in which there is no meeting point. Therefore, he called on all members of the party in Rivers State to give peace a chance.

    The Senator said: “I received with shock and sadness the news of the unwarranted and senseless attack on law-abiding citizens and members of the All Progressives Congress in Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State.

    “Party members who had gathered peacefully in response to the directive of the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party to members and intending members in Rivers, Cross River, Kano, Imo and Kwara States who were unable to take part in the last registration and revalidation exercise could now do so, members met to sensitize themselves and prepare for the exercise, only to be brutally attacked by other members of the APC loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

    “Anyone who has been following Rivers politics will remember that ONELGA was one of the flashpoint of political violence in Rivers State where hundreds of our party supporters and their families were summarily executed just for being members of the APC. ONELGA should therefore ordinarily be the last place on earth in which one would expect members of the APC to attack and attempt to kill one another for any reason whatsoever.

    “It is therefore doubly painful that once more the lives of APC members in ONELGA are again on the firing line of Rivers politics. Basic human dignity, respect for the rights of others and the basic acknowledgment of the sanctity of human life is being assaulted in the name of political supremacy.

    “I condemn this primitive recourse to violence with it every breath of my being and I urge every Rivers man and woman and indeed all right-thinking citizens of our country to raise their voices and be heard,” it added.

    The statement further stated that any well-meaning member of the APC in Rivers State who is focused on how the party can dislodge the opposition in the State and reclaim the State Government to improve not just the fortunes of our members but maximize opportunities for all Rivers men and women should have been overwhelmed with joy to see Rivers people troop out to mobilize themselves in active preparation to register and revalidate their membership of the APC.

    “It is surprising that while we never mobilized to attack and maim those who killed our party members we can mobilize and arm youths to kill those who want to revalidate their membership of our party and those who want to join our party.

    “It is clear that destroying Senator Abe and his supporters has become more important to some in the Rivers APC leadership than repositioning our party and preparing the party for victory.

    “Let me remind us all that the registration and revalidation exercise is not a contest for any individual rather it is a clarion call to all of us to expand the party and improve it. We cannot do that by killing those who are interested in being part of our party.
    Politics is a game of numbers and every single Rivers man and woman is important if we genuinely desire victory.

    “Let me once again appeal to the law enforcement agents in the State to protect all law-abiding Rivers men and women and bring the perpetrators and sponsors of political violence and thuggery to book. The last time it was Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area and Asari Toru, etc. While our own children are safe in the comfort of expensive private universities in foreign countries the children of those we lead are encouraged to attack and kill one another.

    “So far it is to the glory of God that not one member of our party has been killed by another member of this party, if we do not discourage violence we may end up spilling human blood and then our story could change for the worse.

    “Once again, I appeal to all members of our great party in Rivers State to denounce violence. Do not be provoked to attack anyone, particularly your own brothers and sisters in the same party to please any individual. What we have in the party is a political disagreement, it is not a land dispute or a communal riot in which there is no meeting point.

    “Members should remain calm and encourage all those who have not revalidated their membership or want to join the winning train of the APC to do so.

    “I plead with all members and leaders of our great party to give peace a chance. A united, organized and galvanized APC will make greater impact in Rivers politics than a violent, hateful mob. We should all join hands to encourage Rivers people to join our party so that together we can be stronger.

    Again, I urge our law enforcement officers not to give the impression that certain persons are above the law. All those behind the Omoku attack must be apprehended and brought to book. If we continue to fail in this responsibility we encourage others to follow a similar path. The end result will be anarchy and a breakdown of law order. That is not the legacy of the APC,” the statement added.

     

  • Rivers APC: Amaechi threatens to name, shame those planning to smear his image

    Rivers APC: Amaechi threatens to name, shame those planning to smear his image

    Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has called out an unnamed group plotting to tarnish his image by alleging he has a phantom interest in a court case involving the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.

    Amaechi raised the alarm in a statement by his media office, Friday, warning that no one should drag his name into any court matter involving the APC in Rivers or anywhere else as he is not involve in any APC court matter.

    The statement read, “We are aware of plots by a group attempting to muddle the name of the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi by dragging him into an ongoing court case involving the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State.

    “The group has perfected plans to rubbish Amaechi’s image by falsely claiming that he (Amaechi) plans to influence the outcome of the said court matter.

    “We want to clearly state that the Honourable minister is not in court with anybody or any matter relating to the APC. He is in no way involved in any case whatsoever with the APC in Rivers or any other individual or entity in relation to the party.

    “The individuals or group pushing this patently false, ill conceived narrative about the honourable minister are by this statement warned to immediately desist from their evil plot. We are not unaware of their sponsors and paymasters. We will shame them publicly in due time if they don’t put a stop to their nefarious, ungodly, treacherous plans.

    “Let us restate that the Honourable Minister, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is not a defendant or respondent in any matter in court relating to the APC whether in Rivers State or anywhere else.”

    Amaechi has repeatedly said that for now, he is concentrating on his work at the Ministry of Transportation.

  • Importation of Judges : Rivers APC raises alarm, says move won’t help cause of justice

    Importation of Judges : Rivers APC raises alarm, says move won’t help cause of justice

     

    The Caretaker Committee of the APC in Rivers State has raised an alarm that there is a deliberate plot to draft a serving judge from Rivers State High Court serving in Omoku to issue an exparte order to reinstate suspended acting chairman of the party, Igo Aguma.
    Recall that Aguma was suspended barely a week ago for violating the party’s constitution and Davies Seconte was appointed in his place.

    In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the acting Publicity Secretary of the party, Ogbonna Nwuke described the move as a dangerous development in the delivery of justice in Nigeria.

    In the statement Nwuke said” I learnt through credible intelligence of a clandestine plot to draft a Judge of the Rivers State High Court serving in Omoku to issue an exparte order in favour of Hon. Igo Aguma and his cohorts.

    “We have equally learnt that the said Judge has already left his station and may have arrived the Rivers State capital to preside on the matter brought before the, Rivers State Judiciary by Igo and his friends.

    “It has become necessary to make this known to the public who are weary of ongoing attempts to submerge the APC in endless crisis in order to fester their inordinate ambitions.

    “We wish to state categorically that we are shocked that despite knowing that there are Judges of the High Court in Port Harcourt who are competent to hear such cases, Igo Aguma and his co-travellers traveled all the way to Omoku to procure a Judge to carry out their dastardly intentions to undermine a party they claim to love.

    “We are obviously witnesses to a recent alarm raised by the PDP to the effect that courts in Rivers State are being increasingly used to denigrate democratic processes that are in place for purposes of running the affairs of political parties.

    “The concern raised by the PDP confirms what is already known to Rivers people that some politicians have been in the habit of using a segment of the Judiciary in Rivers State to influence judicial decisions.

    “In the meantime, we urge the general public, particularly members of the APC to remain calm. We are monitoring the situation. Our lawyers are already on standby and would respond appropriately.

    “We urge members of the bench in Rivers State to eschew pressure from members of the political class who are determined to rubbish their hard earned reputation.

    “While we insist that the APC has acted in respect of the ruling of Justice Omereji who reasonably urged the APC to rebuild, we will not hesitate, if it becomes necessary to petition judges who step into the arena to the NJC.

  • Rivers APC suspends Victor Giadom

    Victor Giadom, the man who has been claiming the APC chairmanship, has been suspended from the party.

    The suspension was done today by the Rivers APC, according to AIT Live.

    It came three days after the state branch got a court order, restraining Giadom from parading himself as the deputy national secretary of the party.

    The order affirmed Giadom’s resignation from APC NWC in 2018.

    He resigned then to contest the governorship election in Rivers.

    The APC said last week that the resignation had been accepted.

    It rubbished reports that Giadom was re-admitted into the NWC.

    Consequently, the Rivers branch nominated a replacement for him, Worgu Boms, a former attorney-general of the state.

  • Rivers APC: Amaechi, Abe and blame game, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Rivers APC: Amaechi, Abe and blame game, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon
    A few weeks back, I resolved not to comment again on the mess that the gladiators had put the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2019 general election.
    My resolve stemmed from several attempts to intervene when the matter was still at its infancy in March 2018, and when it boiled over throughout the May and August 2018 congresses and primaries, till a few days after the February/March 2019 polls.
    Sadly, my observations, and deductions at every stage was that the individuals and groups would not admit their faults, and were unnameable to pacification and reconciliation. Rather, they seemed fated to a collective failure in the 2019 project.
    And that’s what happened. The courts aborted the chapter’s chances to field candidates in the February 23 National Assembly poll, and for the March 9 Governorship and House of Assembly balloting.
    So, the tongue-in-cheek last week by Senator Magnus Abe, that he’d ended his governorship ambition in the wake of the Supreme Court refusal to overrule itself in the plethora of cases filed by the APC in-house fighters, was too tempting to ignore.
    By his holier-than-thou stand, Abe tried to exonerate himself, and his faction of the Rivers APC, and lay all blames on the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and his camp.
    The senator was quoted as blaming “the unfortunate fate that befell the party in the polls on the high-handedness of some persons in the party, who exalted themselves above other members.”
    If that’s true, does the saying, “Two wrongs cannot make a right,” mean anything to Abe, such that he could have considered the interests of the APC, and those he claims to represent in Rivers, and sheath the sword?
    Claiming “co-equal” with Amaechi, as they have had a symbiotic political relationship, Abe would rather have his way or no APC candidates in Rivers in 2019. Prediction precisely fulfilled!
    To cut a long story short, there’re two but related issues in Rivers politics: The Upland and Riverine dichotomy, and the Rivers East/Rivers West versus Rivers Southeast hegemony.
    The Upland (Rivers East/Rivers West) has produced governors, both in the new and old Rivers State, including Dr. Peter Odili (1999-2007); Amaechi (2007-2015); and Mr. Nyesom Wike (2015-2019) – a 24-year “monopoly” of power by the “Upland” people.
    As Rivers Southeast had never produced a governor since the creation of the state on May 27, 1967, the APC, in 2015, zoned the seat to the district. It’s the reason that Amaechi opposed the ambition of Wike, an Upland indigene of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
    Thus, Amaechi, craving to uphold the “Charter of Equity” created by the APC, settled for Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who hails from Opobo (Southeast), and ran on the APC ticket. But Wike defeated him at the poll.
    Ironically, the 2019 problems in Rivers APC had roots in the 2015 governorship candidacy. Amaechi had shot down the aspiration of Abe, an indigene of Bera-Ogoni (Rivers Southeast), and the man bided his time for 2019, which Amaechi again opposed.
    To achieve his aim, the Amaechi camp allegedly “excluded” the Abe faction from the May 2018 congresses, even when the members waved their “receipts” of payment for the nomination forms.
    Consequently, the Abe faction sponsored 23 members to take the matter to court, which barred the Amaechi camp from further action until the issue was disposed. Instead, the camp held the state congress and elected the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree-led state executive committee.
    In the interim, the Abe faction held its congresses under the Peter Odike counter-state executive, an action that also contravened the injunction by the court. Absent a “recognised” executive in the Rivers APC, all actions taken therefrom, including the “claimed” primaries conducted for the 2019 polls, were voided.
    As the legalese goes, “you cannot build something on nothing.” That’s why the Rivers chapter was unable to field candidates for the various offices, and gave the PDP and Wike the all-clear to sweep the election without the anticipated challenge from the APC.
    On that score, the failure of the APC in Rivers in the 2019 election is the collective responsibility of the main actors: Messrs Amaechi and Abe. It’s would be disingenuous for any one, least of all Abe, to distance himself from the logjam. Indeed, if Abe’s camp didn’t go to court, the issues could have been managed internally.
    Besides, had one of them, Amaechi and Abe, heeded the pleas, and warnings from concerned members, followers and sympathisers of the party, the story could be different today in Rivers.
    Still, I’m inclined to hold Amaechi majorly responsible for the fiasco in the Rivers chapter of the APC, as he couldn’t correctly evaluate what transpired in his second term tenure, between 2011 and 2015, and his failed attempts, twice in 2015 and 2019, to stop Wike from being governor, and re-elected, respectively.
    This is in spite of Amaechi’s powerful position of Director General of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Council in both election periods. Otherwise, he ought to apply tact to handle the Abe “rebellion.”
    Another opportunity came in 2019 to right his “mistakes” of 2015, and Amaechi, assuming the same position of Director General for the re-election of President Buhari, flunked it woefully by insisting that Senator Abe couldn’t run for governor on the APC ticket.
    In my March 5, 2018, message via former chapter chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, and his media adviser, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, I rhetorically asked: “Who, between Wike and PDP, and Abe and APC does Amaechi want to be governor in 2019? Why not allow members of the APC, even if you have a preferred person, to choose the candidate at a level-playing primary contest?”
    Querying Amaechi’s opposition to Abe’s aspiration to be governor, as he did to Wike, “and Wike became governor,” I reminded him that, “the failure of APC in Rivers in 2015 was the failure of Amaechi,” and if he wanted a “repeat performance” in 2019?
    Well, that’s what Amaechi got: Governor Wike “defeating” him once more. So, let him carry the can, and stop blaming Abe, and Wike, for the Rivers APC meltdown.
    If Wike ever meddled in the chapter’s affairs, it’s the fault of Amaechi, and partially Abe’s. They, as the “house mice,” invited the “bush mouse” (Wike) to a party in the Rivers APC, and he seized the opportunity with both hands. And who wouldn’t in the “do-or-die” politics that politicians have “bequeathed” to Rivers?
    The APC “big men” should stop the blame game, quietly lick their self-inflicted political wounds, and re-strategise for a better outing in 2023. Enough of the unrewarding ego trips!
    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
  • Rivers APC kicks as INEC resumes collation of March 9 elections results

    Rivers APC kicks as INEC resumes collation of March 9 elections results

    The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked against alleged plan by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to favour Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Collation of results of the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections are resuming tomorrow in the Southsouth state.

    Ahead of the resumption, the party’s Publicity Secretary Chris Finebone, yesterday in Port Harcourt, accused Wike of desperation to be re-elected, thereby depriving the state’s governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara, of his mandate.

    The APC, which was stopped by the Supreme Court from fielding candidates in the state elections following internal dispute over party primaries, is backing the 40-year-old AAC standard bearer.

    INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo states, May Agbamuche-Mbu, a lawyer, stated in Port Harcourt at the weekend during a stakeholders’ meeting that the commission was not taking sides with any political party or candidate.

    Governor Wike and his AAC challenger Awara were among the stakeholders at the meeting.

    Agbamuche-Mbu also insisted that the results of the elections were not tampered with, but kept in INEC’s strong room, calling on Rivers residents to allow peace to reign in the state before, during and after the activities outlined for the conclusion of the controversial elections.

    Rivers APC, however, said: “We condemn in strong terms, the so-called timeline and activities to conclude the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State, as announced at the stakeholders meeting. It is a mere charade, well-organised and choreographed by INEC, in its bid to work from answer to question.

    “The ultimate result can only be to announce their (INEC’s) preferred partner and collaborator (Wike) as the winner, against the AAC’s governorship candidate (Awara), who was clearly in the lead before collation was aborted (on March 10). Whether INEC will succeed in its machinations will be seen in the days to come.

    “Several actions of INEC had prepared the minds of many that the entire exercise was skewed to favour Wike and the PDP, leaving in the process, several questions without answers.

    “How come that Wike knew about the 17 local government areas, which results had been allegedly collated and had posted same on his (Wike’s) official Twitter handle, long before INEC made the announcement? Answers to this and other questions will continue to hang on the neck of INEC like an albatross.”

    The APC blamed the logjam in the Rivers electoral process on what it called a tripartite collaboration between Wike and the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga, ably assisted by the Administrative Secretary of the commission in Rivers, Elder Etim Umoh.

    But Wike, through his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, declared that APC’s accusation against him was meaningless and senseless.

    The Rivers commissioner, who doubles as PDP Campaign Council’s Information and Communications Director, said: “The APC’s accusation that INEC is favouring Governor Wike does not hold water. It is the same old song; empty, meaningless and senseless. Majority of Rivers people do not take the APC in the state seriously.

    “They (APC members in Rivers State) blame everybody, apart from themselves, for every problem. When they had internal problems that cost them their place in the ballot, they blamed others. When their adopted puppet in AAC could not win one unit in the state, because he was unknown and never campaigned, the APC blamed others.”

    Okah also stated that like a bad workman, who would always quarrel with his tools, leaders of the APC in Rivers would attempt to teach INEC, soldiers, police etc., how to do their job, accusing them of resorting to blackmail whenever they meet a brick wall.

    In his remarks at the stakeholders’ meeting on Saturday, the INEC administrative secretary said: “We have the results for these seventeen LGAs: Ahoada East, Akuku-Toru, Andoni, Bonny, Eleme, Emohua, Etche, Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika, Omuma, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo, Port Harcourt and Tai. Their (17 LGAs) collation was at the local government level. Collation was not completed in the remaining six LGAs: Abua/Odual, Ahoada West, Asari-Toru, Degema, Gokana and Khana.

    “In Abua/Odual LGA, the materials and men did not even go out to the field. They were frustrated from going out and elections did not take place there. In Gokana LGA, materials and men went out to the field, but none came back, because there was outright violence and everything was destroyed. So, we do not have any result from there.

    “In Ahoada West LGA, out of about 100 polling units, we have results in only 24 and that is not good enough. Asari-Toru LGA was not concluded, but we have the polling units’ results available, but they were not collated. Degema LGA has 17 registration areas, which we call wards in INEC’s context, and collation took place in ten, remaining seven.

    “The seven wards, their results are in INEC’s strong room. In Khana LGA, there was no collation at the local government level, but we have results from the polling units and the collation from some wards available.”

    Umoh also disclosed that the collation, scheduled for between April 2 and 5, would hold at the INEC’s office on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.

    The Rivers Commissioner of Police, Usman Belel, also assured during the stakeholders’ meeting that there would be adequate security of lives and property of residents of the state before, during and after the collation of results.

    Belel, who is also the Chairman of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in the state, expressed optimism that the collation would be hitch-free, in view of the stakeholders’ synergy.

    The Police chief said: “As it is usual in every contest, winners and losers must emerge, but the maturity with which the contest’s results is accepted, determines how peaceful the society can be.

    “I wish to appeal to all stakeholders to give peace a chance (in Rivers State) and be magnanimous, either in victory or in defeat, as there will still be Rivers State beyond these elections.”