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Alleged fake polls materials heighten tension in Rivers

By Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt
10 November 2016   |   3:36 am
The development has led to accusations and counter accusations between the state governor, Nyesom Wike, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).
Governor Nyesom Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike

Ahead of the December 10, 2016, rerun national and state legislative elections in Rivers State, political tension has heightened over arrest of some persons allegedly involved in the printing of fake result sheets and other sensitive electoral materials.

Although electoral fraud accusations have been bandied around in the state since the suspension of the exercise last March, the arrest of the suspects have serious security implication for the conduct of the election in the remaining eight local government areas.

The development has led to accusations and counter accusations between the state governor, Nyesom Wike, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

Vote buying, coercion, fake registration forms, multiple voting and ballot box stuffing have been a feature of elections in Rivers State but printing of fake electoral sensitive materials is a new dimension to election rigging.

While addressing journalists after a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders meeting at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Sunday, Wike recalled that a day before, a team of policemen attached to the Swift Operation Squad (SOS), based on intelligence report, raided a printing press owned by an APC chieftain in the city, where fake electoral materials like result sheets and other sensitive materials were being produced for the remaining eight local government areas where rerun polls will be held.

Wike explained that while the PDP was not aware of the units where the rerun polls will be conducted, INEC had leaked the information to the APC, thus, making it possible for the owner of the printing press to produce the fake electoral materials for the various units where the polls will hold.

The governor said large quantity of printed fake result sheets and other sensitive electoral materials for the three senatorial districts particularly Rivers South-East, House of Representatives and State Assembly, were recovered during raid.

He explained that he had personally notified the state Police command to ensure that the arrested culprits are prosecuted but that he feared that the police, who he said is under pressure to release the culprits, might end up destroying the evidence obtained from the printing press.

“As I speak to you now, we made sure we had a video evidence of the documents before handing them over to the Police. Police is telling us now that they are under pressure to release the people and not to charge them to court.”

The alleged graphic designer in the printing press who identified himself as Godday Nanee, told journalists at the Government House, that an APC chieftain and former Commissioner for Agriculture, Emma Chinada brought the sample result sheets to his boss and he was merely given instruction to execute the job.

But Chinada in his reaction told The Guardian that the whole allegation is a hoax orchestrated by Wike to heighten political tension in the state to create a major crisis that might jeopardize the conduct of the remaining polls.

“I see this as the antic of the governor. He has come back to his old antics. The truth of the matter is that he has started building tension. I heard the governor instructed people to go and arrest somebody in D/line. And like I told everybody, I do not know how the governor is now the Commissioner of Police. I do not know how the State Chairman of the PDP, who I heard carried out the arrest and did the investigation, is now the officer in charge of investigation in the police. I do not know how Government House can now be turned into a police station,” he said.

He explained that information available to him was that the graphic designer who mentioned his name was forced to do so at gunpoint in Government House.

According to him, Nanee was coerced to indict him after failed attempts to make him accuse Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside and the APC senatorial candidate for Rivers South-East, Magnus Abe.

“I have not seen the young man yet. I hear the police are investigating the matter. But I want to call on them to do this job in a way to find out what has really happened and then know how operatives of Rivers State government can begin to carry out the functions of the police and begin to call the name of the APC. This whole thing is a hoax. It is not true and they all a drama written and being played out by the governor and his crew,” he added.

Similarly, the APC spokesperson, Chris Finebone, accused the governor and PDP of using political thugs to stage a drama and arrest some innocent persons and detain them in the Government House.

“Nyesom Wike and the PDP have used thugs to stage what they call “bursting of a syndicate printing fake result sheets” said to be operated by a purported APC chieftain. The Rivers State chapter of APC wishes to state that no APC person, chieftain or ordinary member, was involved in any of the purported actions as alleged by Wike and the PDP, assuming without conceding that any such development took place,” he said.

In addition, he said information at the disposal of the APC indicate that PDP and the state government plan to plant incriminating materials at the homes of APC stalwarts, then turn around to harass and illegally arrest and detain them.

“Indeed, it is worrisome when we see the replay of a well-known script of political mischief by the governor and the PDP any time elections have been scheduled. Recall that as the last election was approaching, Wike and the PDP contrived a story with which they arrested an APC chieftain, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree. We believe that the same scenario is playing out and this time another prominent APC chieftain, Hon. Emma Chinda is being targeted for arrest on trumped up charges purporting a false confessional statement by an alleged suspect,” he said.

He explained that the APC would like to unequivocally state that the party has a zero-tolerance for electoral malpractices and does not directly or indirectly involve in any form of electoral malfeasance. He therefore urged the public not to fall into the governor’s antics deliberately contrived to tarnish the image of the APC and its members in the state.

Rivers state Police command spokesperson, Nnamdi Omoni, has confirmed the arrest of some persons in connection with the printing of the fake electoral materials and said investigation into the matter is on going.

Meanwhile, Rotimi Oyekanmi, spokesman of the INEC national chairman told The Guardian that Governor Wike’s allegations are baseless and unfortunate.

He said, “INEC is a responsible organisation that takes its responsibilities very seriously. The Commission could not have been aware of such a criminal act. I will advise the Governor to face the serious assignment of governing Rivers State, rather than forming the habit of throwing stones at INEC at the slightest opportunity.

“We believe that the Nigeria Police have competent officers who will investigate this development and bring all the culprits to book. It is too early for anybody to make conclusions. We should allow the Police to complete their investigation.”

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