INEC suspends P’Harcourt N’Assembly polls collation over threat to life

• APC rejects election results
• ADC sues Wike, INEC, wants guber polls stopped

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State, Johnson Sinikiem, has suspended Port Harcourt City Council Federal Constituency II House of Representatives and Senate elections for alleged irregularities.

Sinikiem disclosed this at a media briefing at the state office, yesterday. He said the Commission would conduct investigation into the threat before proceeding.

The REC also said the suspension became necessary following threat to the life of the State Collation Officer (SCO) for the Presidential Election in the state, Prof. Teddy Charles Adias, who is the vice chancellor of Federal University of Otuoke.

Adias, earlier at a briefing, announced the adjournment of the collation exercise at the Presidential Collation Centre in Port Harcourt over threat to his life and members of his family.

He alleged that some supporters of a political party had shared his telephone number on the social media, urging their members to issue him threats concerning his role as collation officer.

According to him, the collation would be adjourned indefinitely until INEC explains to members of the public his scope of duty.
In another development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has called for the cancellation of Rivers East National Assembly results announced by INEC, alleging that figures were manipulated.

Speaking on behalf of APC National Assembly candidates in Rivers East, Ezemonye Ezekiel Amadi, regretted that INEC, who promised to give Nigerians free and fair elections had allegedly taken the country 50 years backwards.

Amadi, who is the candidate of Ikwerre/Emuohua Federal Constituency under the APC ticket, called for outright cancellation of the results in Rivers State.

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State, Tonte Ibraye, has approached a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the suspension of the March 11 governorship election in the state.

Tonte, in an ex parte motion in pursuant to Order 26, Rule 1, 2, 3, 6 (1) and 7, Order 28 Rule 1(1) and (2) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure)
Rule 2019 of the court, also stated that Executive Orders of the Rivers State Government negatively impacted electoral process in the state.

Ibraye and Africa Democratic Congress, in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/246/2023, obtained in Port Harcourt, want an order of interim injunction restraining the 1st defendant, its representatives, agents, privies, and/or anybody, acting through it from further implementation and enforcement of its Executive Orders issued on October 4, 2022 and the Executive Order issued on November 11, 2022 by the first defendant, pending the determination of the motion on notice before the court.