Rivers opposition parties demand cancellation as PDP wins in 23 councils

Some opposition political parties in Rivers State, which contested Saturday’s council elections, have demanded cancellation of the polls over alleged infractions.

The parties accused the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) of bias, insisting that the election was far from being credible, free, and fair. 

Agent of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bestman Experience, said opposition party members were intimidated, harassed, while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agents hijacked ballot boxes.

“There was no election because they barred us from voting. PDP hijacked the result sheets in Analama Ward 11. 

“After the election, they were still thumb-printing for PDP. When I asked them to stop, they threatened to beat me up. They oppressed me in my own unit,” he said.

Also, an agent of the party in unit 13, Vincent Kelvin, alleged that RSIEC ad-hoc staff members were thumb-printing for the PDP.

On his part, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Derego West, said RSIEC officials arrived at the 31 polling units in the Ward with fake result sheets.

“The election was not free, because RSIEC hijacked the result sheets. There were no results in the polling units. I have evidence of all that happened and as such, the election should be cancelled.

But reacting to the claims, PDP agent, Ofori Brown, who denied the allegations of rigging, said the election was generally peaceful, just as the party won the 23 chairmanship and all councillorship seats.

Chairman of RSIEC, Justice George Omereji (rtd.), who announced the results yesterday, declared PDP winner of the Ahoada East Chairmanship contest with 35,483 votes and 13 wards of the councillorship polls, while the delisted All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 84 votes.

Justice Omereji equally declared Chidi Lloyd of PDP winner of Emohua, chairmanship seat with 93,980 votes as the party also cleared the 14 councillorship seats.

PDP also won the Etche chairmanship seat with 27, 883 votes and cleared the 18 seats of the wards. Also PDP won the Gokana LGA chairmanship seat with 54,578 votes. APC got 2 votes for the chairmanship election. PDP clinched all the 17 councillorship seats.

In Bonny, PDP won the chairmanship slot with 18,408 votes and clinched all the 12 councillorship seats, while it won Asari Toru chairmanship with 63,727 votes and all the 13 councillorship seats, among other councils of the state.