Outrage greeted the rerun legislative elections in Khana, Gokana and some parts of the Rivers South-East Senatorial Zone just as the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) led remarkably in other parts of the state.

This was sequel to several incidents of ballot box snatching and other electoral malpractices in which security operatives were fingered.

Some soldiers and operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) of the Nigerian Police Force, eye witnesses say, carted away INEC sensitive materials in active connivance with the All Progressives Congress (APC) officials who gave orders to the security operatives.

Apart from carting away materials, the operatives attacked PDP chieftains and supporters, haunting them for arrests and shooting at sight.

It was learnt that the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Khana/Gokana Constituency, Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, escaped death miraculously last Friday night from some soldiers who had trailed him to his residence for arrest. At Saint Pius Ward 3 in Bodo, men said to be operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad stormed the polling units shot sporadically, and killed one 25-year old Meebara Kormage who had gone to cast his vote.

The Tide team on arrival at the scene of the incident which had been deserted, saw two empty ballot boxes and ballot papers littered all over the place, including a few spent bullets.

In Tai Local Government Area, the APC House of Representatives candidate, Hon. Barinada Mpigi was said to have been assisted by soldiers in his attempt to cart away ballot boxes.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party in Rivers State has called on INEC to outrightly cancel the re-run elections held in Khana Local Government Area on Saturday, December 10, 2016.

Speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt yesterday, Chairman of the Labour Party in the State, Prince Favour Felix Reuben cited massive electoral irregularities allegedly perpetrated by the APC in connivance with security agents as basis for the position of the party.

According to Prince Reuben, the Labour Party was not alone in rejecting the polls conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, adding that all other poltical parties except the APC that took part in the elections were equally dissatisfied and alarmed by the level of misconduct that characterized the exercise.

“Every other political parties that were involved in that election in Khana are calling for the cancellation of that election because something better must be done”, he said, adding that the massive deployment of security personnel was counter-productive as soldiers especially got directly involved in the very electoral process.

The State party boss said that against his expectation of the security personnel providing security cover for the electorate to go and exercise their civil duty without fear, he witnessed soldiers carrying ballot boxes and intimidating and scaring voters at the polling units.

“The one that happened yesterday was something that marvelled us”, he said, affirming that “At every polling unit, soldiers and security agents were more than voters. We did not expect soldiers to be carrying ballot boxes and aiding a candidate in the election”.

He described as “amazing” a situation where armed security men overwhelmed voters at the polling units and chased away agents of political parties other than the APC from gaining entrance into the collation centres, alleging that “once they discovered that you were not an APC person, they saw you as a threat”.

“this kind of election I’ve never seen in my life, I’ve never experienced this level of desperation”, he lamented, adding, “this APC led government is trying to cajole everybody, cow everybody and intimidate everybody in order to win election”.

In another development, the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Chief Kenneth N. Kobani has described last Saturday’s elections in Gokana Local Government Area as a sham, stating that it is wrong for politicians to be desperate for power.

Kobani who expressed shock over the level of manipulations by the All Progressive Congress (APC) members with the assistance of the security agencies to hijack materials and rig the elections in their favour.

He accused the opposition party members in the state of several attempts to disorganize the process in his polling units at Bodo Primary School 11, and said the APC were only relying on security operatives to rig the elections and in the process shot and killed a youngman.

According to him,’’ the elections were going on smoothly at Saint Pius x College, Bodo when armed police men in Special Anti Robbery (F-SAR) uniforms invaded the place and carted away electoral materials.

He condoled with the family of the deceased and condemned the killing.

Also, the House of Representatives candidate of the Khana / Gokana Federal Constituency, Hon Dumnamene Dekor said he would protest and reject any results declared in Khana Local government, stating that election never held in any place in the Local Government Area.

Dekor said the materials were diverted with the help of the security operatives soon after they left the INEC office in Bori.

According to him,’’ during the distributions, the APC members used the security agencies to divert all the materials in the Local Government Area, stressing that the exercise was a sham.

He said that those behind this had attempted severally to take his life, but God has been protecting him, as he vowed to continue to fight against corruption and intimidation.

Dekor, informed that he had laid verbal presentation of his complaints to the INEC but they have refused to do anything about it, describing the exercise as high level conspiracy that will not stand.

‘’ We as a party in the Local Government resolved that with regard to the issue of result sheet moving from one place to another, there must be a signal from the one sent from the electoral body, but unfortunately, the INEC refused, so we said this is what we want.

We started monitoring, as we are allowed by law for our agents to accompany the materials to their ward centres for onward distributions to the polling units. Between the Bori police station and Nwiyhakara round about, soldiers, SARS men, and some boys in company of the Assembly candidate, and NDDC Director Finance and Administration stood at the junction and commandeered all the materials and in some cases, even the police in the vehicle handed over the result sheets to them.

At some point, dynamites were used, but that of my ward managed to get to my RAC centre Berri, but the INEC Official, in my ward(ward 9), khana, refused to distribute results sheets. My agents insisted to know reasons for distributing some and leaving some, but no answers to that’’, he said.

Dekor said after waiting for a long time and voting had not commenced, he had to go to the INEC office to formerly complain verbally to the Local Government Electoral Officer in Bori who refused listen to him even as a candidate.

He however described the exercise as the high level of conspiracy not only to rape democracy, but to eliminate the process of electing leaders in the state.

Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor , has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) to release the Rivers East Senatorial District and Rivers West Senatorial District untampered with, declaring that Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) candidates have already won both elections based on results from polling units .

Governor Wike also called on INEC to immediately release the results of Andoni /Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency and Andoni State Constituency also won by the PDP.

In an interactive session with journalists on Sunday , Governor Wike said it has never happened in the history of elections that the Rivers East Senatorial District result declaration exceeded 24hours

According to him , the result of Rivers East has been held down by the plots of INEC , the Army and the Police to manipulate the results of Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas for the purpose of concocting the senatorial results in favour of the APC .

He said: “As I speak with you, they are doing everything possible to rewrite the result of Emohua Local Government Area to ensure that the APC wins”.

The governor said that since the conclusion of voting, INEC has been playing pranks, moving collation back and forth from Emohua to Port Harcourt to create room for rigging.

“For now, all the collation officers have refused to be compelled to declare false results. As such, the collation officers have left and INEC has resorted to using her internal staff for the collation of results.

“Release Rivers East Senatorial District where Senator George Sekibo has won clearly.. Release Rivers West Senatorial District where Senator Osinakachukwu Ideozu has won clearly . INEC should release Andoni/ Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency where Abiante has won and Andoni State Constituency where Ikunyi Ibani has won clearly “, he said.

He described as unfortunate the deliberate use of the Nigerian Army to deny PDP agents access to collation centres , so that INEC staff can concoct results.

“It is most unfortunate that that they will descend to the level of win at all costs”, he said .

The governor reiterated his statement that the Nigerian Army and SARS personnel were deeply involved in the violence that characterised the elections , pointing out that the violence claimed five lives in different parts of the State .

He said that the half hearted denial of the military evaporates in the face of overwhelming evidence of their misconduct during the polls.

“When the security is apolitical , you have free and fair elections . But when the security descends into the arena, the entire process is compromised”, the governor noted.

Victor Tew/Opaka Dokubo