As the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to conclude the rerun elections in Rivers State, the former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has called on the National Chairman of the INEC to resign immediately for failure to conduct any free and fair election in the country so far.
The Rivers State INEC, had recently announced its preparation to conclude the legislative re-run elections it abandoned since April 19, and had asked the various political parties to sign undertaking to keep the peace.
Reacting to the INEC plans for the re-run elections, Prince Secondus, while speaking with the press at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, pointed out that Nigerians have lost faith in the State INEC to conduct a free and fair election, and that the only option left for the INEC National Chairman and Mrs Amina Zachari, was to resign now to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the electoral body.
According to Prince Secondus, the inability of the INEC to conduct any free and fair election across the country so far; was a shame and sign of incompetence.
The INEC he further said, had so far, conducted the worst elections in the country and that he was still in doubt, if anything good could come out of the present electoral body because of its attachment to the ruling party, the APC.
“The present INEC is currently a parastatal of the APC and therefore was being tele guided and playing the scripts of the APC”.
On the re-run elections in Rivers State, the PDP strongman advised the state INEC, to ensure that it was open, transparent, free and fair to avoid plunging the state back to another crisis.
He accused the State INEC of being responsible for the crisis that erupted in the state in the past because of its inability to conduct a free and fair election and its determination to donate some constituencies to the APC.
On the refusal of the State INEC to release the already collated results on the April 19 re-run election, the PDP former National Deputy Chairman, described it as pure injustice and an unconstitutional act and called for the immediate release of the results before the planned re-run elections, in Rivers State.
Prince Secondus commended the people of Rivers State for their stand and vigilance during the last elections and further urged them to still turn out in their large number to defend their votes, which he said was their right.
Rivers State he explained, belonged to the PDP and not to any other party and that the people should rise up and defend their votes because the re-run elections was between the PDP versus the INEC, the Federal Government and various security agencies.
He used the occasion to invite the foreign observers, the United Nations, the embassies and foreign missions in Nigeria to come and observe the re-run elections in the state.