Wike Alerts OnAPC’s Plot To Rig Polls

River State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government of putting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prevail on vice chancellors (VCs) of universities to send APC members as ad-hoc staff for the purpose of rigging the polls.
Wike made the allegation yesterday, at a forum of Rivers State governorship candidates.
This was as the governorship candidates called on Rivers people to defend their votes during the forthcoming general elections in the state.
The forum also condemned alleged threat to violence during the 2019 polls in Rivers by leaders of the APC and urged security agencies to call the opposition party leadership in the state to order.
The position of the forum was contained in a communique after its meeting in Port Harcourt, the state capital. 
The meeting was attended by several governorship candidates, including governor Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The communique was read by the forum’s chairman, Pastor Samuel Ihunwo. 
The group, also, called on INEC to conduct free, fair and credible polls in Rivers, in line with the extant laws. 
The governorship candidates also called on security agencies not to allow themselves be used by the APC-led federal government to manipulate the elections in the state.  They condemned alleged planned manipulation of the polls in Rivers by the government authorities, and called for peaceful polls in the state.
Also, the forum condemned the removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) by President Muhammadu Buhari, and called on the president to reverse the decision. 
In his address, governor Wike accused the APC-led federal government of acting in extreme ways “just to rig Rivers elections.”
He said: “The ruling party is manipulating vice chancellors to submit  the names of APC members as INEC ad-hoc staff and returning officers.
“Will the elections be credible when the list of electoral officials are manipulated at INEC headquarters in Abuja by the ruling party?”
On the crisis in Rivers APC, Wike alleged that the party was prepared to destroy the judiciary just to gain political advantage. 
He said the Rivers APC crisis was generated by the impunity of the party’s leadership.