INEC Working With APC …Wike Alerts …Says New Police Postings To Rig Rerun Polls

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has accused the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmud Yakubu of taking steps to scuttle credible rerun elections in Rivers State by having secret meetings with the Rivers State APC Chairman, Chief Davies Ikanya and Senator Magnus Abe on July 19, 2016.
Addressing  thousands of PDP  supporters at the Rivers East PDP Senatorial campaign rally  in Okehi, Etche Local Government Area, yesterday, Wike also regretted the unfortunate posting of compromised policemen to Rivers State with the aim of damaging the security network ahead of the rerun elections.
Wike further accused the INEC National Chairman of concluding plans to postpone  the July 30 , 2016 rerun  elections in deference to the fear of  defeat expressed by the  leadership of Rivers State APC.
He wondered why anyone would be happy to destroy Rivers State just because  they want to satisfy the politician  who funded  APC national elections through Rivers State resources.
In his words, “they are frustrating  elections in Rivers State because of one man who sponsored elections for APC.  They have posted electoral officers from APC states to rig elections  and they want to accede to the request of the Rivers State APC to post out the Resident Electoral Commissioner.
“But the truth is that nobody can rig elections in Rivers State. The INEC national chairman  only has the power to postpone  elections,  but he has no power to rig elections  here.
“As I speak to you, on 19th of July, 2016, the APC Chairman,  Davies Ikanya,  Senator Magnus Abe and others by 7.30 to 8pm were with the INEC National Chairman in his office.
“Rivers State is key to the development of this country. Will they continue  to  deny us  representation at the Senate and majority of the constituencies of the House of Representatives?”
He called on the people of Rivers State to continue  to  resist every attempt  by INEC  to rig elections  in  the  state  because  power resides with the people.
According to him, “You saw what happened in Turkey, where the people effectively  resisted the Army who plotted a coup to dethrone an elected government.  Here in Rivers State, the people will resist any attempt to use compromised  security personnel  to rig the polls”.
The governor said that the APC are not campaigning for the rerun elections  because  of the assurances  they have received  that the elections will be  rigged in their favour.
He noted that just as the Rivers APC  backed by security agencies could not swap the result sheets handed over to them by compromised INEC  officials on March 19, 2016, so they will  fail when the forthcoming  rerun elections are conducted as a result  of  the  vigilance of the people.
He reiterated  that  anyone posted to Rivers State  with the aim of rigging the elections  should inform his family the location  of  his hidden wealth as he will  face the treatment  reserved  for armed robbers.
Commenting  on  the  politicised posting of compromised  senior police officers to Rivers State, Wike  said that he has written  four letters to the new Inspector General of Police on the issue and made 45 calls to the police chief on the issue without getting a response.
Speaking further, he said the new Inspector General of Police posted Mr Akin Fakorede, the former Officer in Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad who distributed fake SARS uniforms to APC thugs during  the  March 19 rerun  elections leading to the death of several innocent Rivers people.
He also accused Fakorede of embezzling N18 million meant for the rehabilitation  of  armoured personnel  carrier  before he fled the state after the rerun.
Wike accused the Inspector General  of Police of posting one Mustapha  back to the  state after he ran away upon his false testimony at the tribunal, and stated that Mustapha  now heads MOPOL 56 in Bori, one of the major locations of the rerun  elections.
He added that the Police High Command has also  reposted one  Stephen Asin,  former  officer-in-charge of Special Anti-Robbery Squad,  back to the state after the same officer publicly declared that he will destroy  the  security  network  in the state. He informed that Asin will now head the Operations Department  of  police in the state.
“My interest is for the security of  the state to be sustained.  We are enjoying relative security  in the state and I will  not fold my arms and allow anyone  destroy the security of the state  through the posting of politicians who hide under police uniforms” , he said.
In his remarks, former Minister of Transportation, Dr Abiye Sekibo, said that the people of Rivers State will continue to vote PDP  because  it  is  the  only political  party that will address the hunger  in  the  country.
Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah assured that the PDP will win all the forthcoming rerun elections  because  of  the performance  of  Governor Nyesom Wike.
In his address,  Rivers East Senatorial Candidate,  George Thompson Sekibo, urged the people of the district to reaffirm the elections  of all PDP candidates during the forthcoming rerun elections.