Tony John, Port Harcourt
African Action Congress (AAC) state collation agent for the Rivers State governorship election, Nenye Kocha, has declared that Governor Nyesom Wike emerged victorious on the strength of the governorship election results collated between April 2 and 3.
Kocha, who appeared as star witness of AAC at the tribunal, said all through the collation of results, there was no time the defeated AAC governorship candidate led in the race.
The witness, who is also AAC secretary, said he was a registered member with party card registration number: AAC8016ONL. he said he joined the party in August 2018.
Kocha told the tribunal that the party only had only 418 agents across the 4,442 units in the state.
He said, as a new party, they were able to clear only four House of Assembly candidates and one governorship candidate for the March 9, 2019, election.
He revealed during cross-examination by counsel for second respondent (Wike), Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) that one Donatus Barikor from Gokana council and Henry Iyala from Degema council, who testified for Awara as the party collation agents, were impostors and not AAC members.
He further declared there were no results collated for Gokana and Abua/Odual local government areas during the collation of the governorship election results.
The AAC star witness said: “We had just four House of Assembly candidates and one governorship candidate. Out of the 32 seats in the Assembly, we only had four candidates. No candidate for National Assembly. We had collation agents in only 418 polling units across the 4,442 polling units in the state.
“No result was declared for Abua/Odual and Gokana councils as at the time of collation. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the election in strict compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines,” he said.
The Rivers AAC governorship election collation agent declared he would not dent his integrity because of politics, emphasising that he was at the tribunal to declare the truth.
He said: “Barikor for Gokana and Iyala for Degema were not AAC party agents.
“This is the first time I am in politics, coming from industry. I am in politics for integrity. All Progressives Congress adopted our governorship candidate two days to the election.”
Kocha admitted at the tribunal that the party no longer has a deputy governorship candidate following the withdrawal of Akpo Bomba Yeeh.
The matter has been adjourned till today for the continuation of the AAC’s case.
Meanwhile, Governor Wike, yesterday restated his commitment to education when he commissioned the reconstructed and remodelled Sea-Bed Model Primary School, Port Harcourt.
The Sea-Bed Model Primary School is one of the 253 schools upgraded and expanded by Governor Wike in the last four years. It was delivered as part of Governor Wike’s first 100 days in office for his second term.
Governor Wike assured Rivers people that he will continue to uplift the standard of education through critical interventions.
He said: “We shall continue to engage in human capital development. And the best way to engage in human capital development is to fund educational development.”
Governor Wike announced that the state government has awarded contracts for the construction of 69 primary and basic education schools across the state.