The Independent National Electoral
Commission has said it has no power to
cancel the results of the governorship and
state Houses of Assembly elections in Rivers
and Akwa Ibom states.
It made this known to The PUNCH a few hours
after the European Union Election Observation
Mission to Nigeria on Monday called for a
probe of the “severe problems” that
characterised the polls in the two states.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC
chairman, Kayode Idowu, said those calling on
the commission to cancel the results were
misdirecting their request.
He explained that once results had been
announced by INEC , only election petition
tribunals had the power to cancel and order
fresh elections.
Idowu said, “The law does not allow us to
cancel any result after it has been announced.
Everyone knows this.
“It is only the election petition tribunals that
can order that or even cancelled the elections.
We would advice anyone who is aggrieved to
go to the court. “
Also in Abuja on Monday, EU EOM said the
elections in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states
needed to be probed because of accusations of
rigging, intimidation and violence by
opponents of the winners.
Udom Emmanuel won the governorship in
election in Akwa Ibom while a former Minister
of State for Education, Nyesom Wike,
triumphed in Rivers.
The Chief Observer of the EU EOM, Santiago
Fisas, said at a news conference that even
though the elections witnessed “more efficient
polling, “there were “increased incidents of
violence and interference.”
He added, “On April 12, INEC referred to 66
reports of violent incidents targeting polling
units, INEC officials, voters and election
materials in 19 states in all geopolitical zones
except for the North-East.
“Both the main parties made many
accusations of rigging, intimidation and
violence by opponents. Problems were most
pronounced in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states
where there are multiple credible reports of
violence and interference, which warrant
further investigation.”
Fisas however encouraged those with
grievances to address them through official
channels.
The Chief observer also commended President
Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat
before the last result was read.
Fisas, who described the election-related
killings as regrettable, stressed that loss of
lives was unacceptable in election conduct.
He said, “It is very regrettable that so many
people lost their lives during the elections.
Election must be violence-free; loss of lives is
not acceptable. Citizens should be able to
express their political will freely without fear
for their lives.
“My full condolences go to families and
friends of those who have been killed during
this election process; also to the family of the
Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, who
perished with his family in the tragic fire.”
Also on Monday, the United States which
congratulated Nigerians and INEC on the
successful conduct of the general elections,
said it had “seen the reports of violence and
alleged irregularities, particularly in Rivers and
Akwa Ibom states.”
In a statement by its Embassy in Nigeria, the
US callED on those dissatisfied to pursue their
grievances peacefully through the judiciary.
The statement read in part, “The US Embassy
in Nigeria congratulates the people of Nigeria
and INEC for an electoral process on April 11,
2015 that generally went well across the
country and built on the success of the March
28 polling process.
“We have seen the reports of violence and
alleged irregularities, particularly in Rivers and
Akwa Ibom states, and call on those
dissatisfied to pursue their grievances
peacefully in the judicial arena. We regret any
loss of life and destruction of property.”
It lauded “the leadership of Nigeria’s political
parties, notably President Goodluck Jonathan
and President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, for
urging their supporters to conduct themselves
peacefully throughout the electoral process.”
Presidency, militants rigged elections in
Rivers, A’Ibom –APC
But in Lagos, the national leadership of the
APC accused the Presidency and Niger Delta
militants of rigging the elections in two states.
The APC, at a news conference by its Publicity
Secretary, Lai Mohammed, described the
elections in the states as a mockery of
democracy.
It therefore called on INEC to cancel the
elections.
The party said, “It is clear that the script for
the distortion of the Rivers elections was
written by the Presidency and executed by the
PDP, the police and militants
“As you would recollect, our party’s chapter in
Rivers had written a petition complaining of
the crass partisanship of the Rivers State
Commissioner of Police in the presidential and
National Assembly elections held on March
28.
“Because of this petition, the Inspector-
General of Police, Suleiman Abba, posted three
police commissioners from the Force
Headquarters in Abuja to oversee the April 11
elections in Rivers State.
“As soon as the President learnt of this
development, he directed the IG to reverse the
decision and instead requested that AIG Tunde
Ogunsakin be posted to oversee the April 11
elections in Rivers State.”
The APC spokesman said as soon as electoral
materials were distributed, a senior police
officer in Akukutoru Local Government Area
simply handed over the election materials for
this local government to the militants.
He said upon learning of this development,
Ogunshakin ordered that the materials should
be recovered and handed over to the electoral
officer for the LGA within the next hour.
Mohammed said, “Irked by A Ogunsakin’s
directive, the Presidency ordered him to leave
Rivers State within six hours and a pliant
replacement was asked to take over from him.
“From then on, unimaginative terror was
unleashed on the electorate, in particular on
APC members and supporters. It was a
straight fight between the police, the militants
and the PDP on the one hand and the APC on
the other hand.”
He said in former Governor Victor Attah’s
ward in Ibesikpo Asutan, three contiguous
polling units did not receive election
materials.
Mohammed said that electoral officers even
told the APC governorship candidate, Umana
Umana, that the election process was marred
by security failure, which allowed PDP thugs
to hijack election materials and take them to
private homes for thumb-printing.
The PDP however said it was wrong for the
APC to call for the cancellation of the results
because there was no way it would not have
won the polls in the two states.
APC is wrong, says PDP
The National Publicity Secretary of the party,
Olisa Metuh, told one our correspondents that
the PDP might as well demand that the
presidential election be canceled because of
the irregularities it noticed.
He said, “There was no way we wouldn’t have
won the elections in both Rivers and Akwa
Ibom states because they are our stronghold.
“Maybe we should as well ask that the
presidential election be canceled because of
the irregularities we noticed during the
conduct of the election.”
Metuh called on the APC to learn to accept
the outcomes of elections
Meanwhile, THE announcement of the
governorship election results by INEC enetered
a second day on Monday with the APC
winning additional six states and the PDP,
three.
The states whose results were announced in
APC’s favour are Zamfara, Jigawa, Adamawa,
Niger, Nasarawa and Borno. The PDP had
Rivers, Delta and Cross River states.
As of Sunday midnight, INEC had formally
declared the candidates of the APC in 13
states as winners. The states are Sokoto,
Kebbi, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Katsina,
Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Yobe and
Benue.
It also declared the PDP candidates in Gombe,
Enugu, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom victorious.
When the results began to trickle in between
1pm and 7pm on Monday, INEC announced
more APC candidates as winners.
In Nasarawa State, Governor Tanko Al-Makura
scored 309, 746 votes to beat his closest
rival,Yusuf Agasi of the PDP, who had 178,
983 votes.
Abdulaziz Yari scored 716,964 votes while
Mamuda Shinkafi of the PDP in Zamfara State
had 201,938 votes.
Also in Jigawa, Badaru Abubakar defeated
Aminu Ringim of the PDP by polling 648, 045
votes. Ringim had 479,447 votes.
INEC merely confirned unofficial reports of
Jibrilla Bindow, Abubakar Bello and Kashim
Shettima’s victories in Adamawa, Niger and
Borno states.
Bindow defeated PDP’s Nuhu Ribadu by
scoring 362,329 votes. Ribadu had 98,917
votes.
While Bello had 593,702 votes, Umar Nasco of
the PDP in Niger State had 239,770 votes.
In Borno State, Shettima scored 649, 913 votes
as against 34,005 votes by Gambo Lawan of
the PDP.
The PDP candidates however floored their APC
counterparts in Rivers, Delta and Cross River
states.
In Rivers State, a former Minister of State for
Education and PDP torch-bearer, Nyesom
Wike, trounced APC’s Dakuku Peterside having
polled 1,029,102 votes. Dakuku had 124,896
votes.
In Delta State PDP’s Ifeanyi Okowa became
governor-elect after defeating APC’s O’tega
Emerhor by garnering 724,680 votes. Emerhor
had 67, 825 votes.
Benedict Ayade of the PDP in Cross River also
handed defeat to his APC closest rival Odey
Ochicha. He polled 342,016 votes as against
Ochicha’s 53,983.
INEC which also updated the results of the
Benue State election, had declared the Imo,
Abia and Taraba state governorship results
inconclusive.
As of Sunday night when the Imo results were
announced uncompleted, Governor Rochas
Okorocha of the APC was leading his PDP
counterpart and Deputy Speaker of the House
of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha.
APC’s candidate in Taraba State, Jummai
Alhassan, was also leading other candidates
in the state.

OK oooo, we have heard!!!

Anybody that is pained should go to court

Welcome Development. Let them cancel All APC states elections first. Mtshewwwww