Cole flays electoral malpractices, accuses PDP of vote buying, intimidation

As Dumo, Danagogo, commend peaceful process

Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Tonye Cole, has expressed concerns over the conduct of the March 18 elections in the Akuku-Toru council of Rivers State.

Cole, who expressed his disappointment while addressing the media, alleged that there was massive vote buying and voter intimidation in the area. He noted that he got intelligence that results will be hijacked after being sorting and counting. He urged operatives to beef up security, adding that the party is taking notes of incidents in the area and will write a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said: “Well, so far we got reports of vote buying and a bit of intimidation. Reports of people being warned that if they don’t vote for PDP, they should write their will.

“So, we are taking notes of these things and taking notes of the units, where the reports come from because we are going to write petition against those units.”

MEANWHILE, the governorship candidate of Accord, Dumo Lulu-Briggs and the Secretary to Rivers State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, have described the election process as peaceful, compared to past elections.

Lulu-Briggs, who adjudged the process as seamless, however, expressed fears that during sorting and counting, the wish of the people might be subverted.

On his part, Danagogo said the Kalabari people had, through the 2019 general election experience, learnt that violence does not pay but that peace brings development.