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Political Parties Reject Polls In Rivers …As Jega Says No Enough Evidence To Cancel Election
INEC collation officer for Rivers State, Prof. John Etu-Efeotor, handing over the results sheet of the presidential election in the state to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, at the National Collation Centre in Abuja, yesterday.
As reactions trail the just- concluded Presidential and National Assembly election in Rivers State, the concerned political parties in Rivers State has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in calling for the cancellation of the elections in the state.
The group, which said this at a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday, alleged high level irregularities in the conduct of the elections in the state.
The leader of the group, Hon Nsirim Chima of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), also accused the state Resident Electoral Commissioner of colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party to rig the elections.
“We, the undersigned political parties under the auspices of concerned political parties in Rivers State, committed to upholding globally acceptable tenets of democracy unanimously declare that there was no election in the 28th of March 2015.
“Rather, what was purported to be an election was a mockery of democracy, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in concert with the Resident Electoral commissioner (REC) of Rivers State marred the entire process with high momentum of irregularities ad malpractices deliberately orchestrated to rig the election in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“The fact that INEC in Rivers State compromised is incontrovertible as there was virtually no polling unit where votes were cast, counted results announced and pasted as required by the electoral law”.
The group also alleged killings and general intimidation as PDP thugs allegedly aided by security operatives, brazenly orchestrated mayhem on intending voters and members of other political parties.
They also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resist all forms of illicit overtures by political parties and politicians to lure it to indulge in activities that would mar the success of the elections.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State rejected the results of the National Assembly elections won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The rejection is contained in a statement issued by Director of Media, Greater Together Campaign Organisation of the party, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, in Port Harcourt.
It stated that the result was not acceptable to the party, and called for the cancellation of the elections.
“This is not acceptable to us and we reiterate our call for the cancellation of all elections in Rivers State,’’ it stated.
According to the statement, the result is a denial of the people’s right to air their voices.
It stated that APC agent in INEC submitted petitions to the Resident Electoral Commissioner on the conduct of the election but was sent out of the collation centre on March 28.
It would be recalled that the results of Saturday’s National Assembly elections in Rivers had been released with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winning all the seats in both chambers of the assembly.
The Chief Returning Officer for the state, Prof. John Etu-Efeotor, announced the results in Port Harcourt on Monday.
Efeotor, who is the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Petroleum, Effurun, Delta, said that Sen. George Sekibo of the PDP polled 662,278 to win Rivers East Senatorial District.
According to him, Sekibo defeated his All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hon Andrew Uchendu, who scored 52,064 votes.
In Rivers South-East district, Mr Olaka Nwogu of PDP polled 408,353 votes to beat Sen. Magnus Abe of APC, who had 23,052 votes.
The third senatorial seat, Rivers South-West, was picked by PDP’s Mr Osinakachukwu Ideozu, who scored 279,745 as against 24,687 votes polled by Mr Otelemaba Amachree of the APC.
For the House of Representatives seats, Efeotor announced that PDP won in the 13 Federal constituencies in the state, with Betty Apiafi scoring 64,016 votes to defeat APC’s Robinsoh Ewoh, who polled 3,654 votes for Abua/Odual/Ahoada East seat.
Mr Uche Obi won the Ahoada West/Egbema/Ndoni seat with 90,891 votes against 8,967 votes scored by Lucky Odili of APC.
Similarly, Jacobson Nbina polled 141,410 votes to pick Tai/Eleme/Oyigbo constituency ticket as against 9,920 votes scored by Bari Mpigi of APC.
Other winners included Kingsley Chinda, who scored 182,158 votes to win Obio/Akpor constituency ticket, defeating Tony Okocha of APC who got 13,286 votes; Awaji Abiante scored 95,000 votes to win Sampson Egop of APC with 5,366 votes for Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro constituency.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says there is no substantial evidence to cancel result of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in Rivers State.
Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, made this known at the National Collation Centre of the election in Abuja, yesterday.
The position of the INEC was sequel to the petition by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and calls by some political stakeholders in the state for the cancellation of the result.
The petitioners had alleged massive irregularities during the elections.
“Elections all over the world are not perfect and we do not believe that the allegations are substantial enough to cancel the results.
“The commission, however, constituted a three-man committee to investigate the allegations.
“The three-man committee went to the state yesterday (Monday) to investigate the allegation and they returned this morning and were giving us a debriefing this morning which resulted in the delay of today’s process,’’ Jega said.
He, therefore, directed that result of the presidential poll from Rivers State should be announced, and it was done by the Collation Officer for the state, Prof. John Etu-Efeotor, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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