Tony John, Port Harcourt
The governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), Awara Biokpmabo, has asked the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare him winner of last Saturday’s governorship election in Rivers State.
Briefing newsmen, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Biokpomabo claimed that the results collated and declared from collation centres in different local government areas showed that he was leading in the councils announced so far.
He claimed: “Some of the results announced at the polling units in the local governments, where collations were not concluded clearly before the suspension of the processes, show that I won over 15 local government areas.
“The INEC pleaded insecurity, violence, seizure of electoral materials by hoodlums as reasons for suspending the remaining stages of the election. I reject the reason given by INEC.
“This is because in the local government areas that were affected, voting had concluded, results declared at the polling units and collation had begun before the abrupt suspension of the process. The commission does not have the power, under our Electoral Act, to suspend elections that have already been concluded.”
He alleged that the suspension of the elections was done to favour the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Nyesom Wike.
The AAC governorship candidate further called for urgent redeployment of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obo Effanga, and alleged that his credibility to conduct free and fair elections was in doubt.