Eight witnesses for the Independent National
Electoral Commission on Monday told the Rivers
State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal,
sitting in Abuja, that the security men, who had
testified for the All Progressives Congress lied on
oath before the tribunal.
The witnesses also told the tribunal during their
cross examination by counsel for the APC, Mr
Akinlolu Olujimi, on Monday that the security
men were ignorant of the electoral processes at
the polling units.
Fifty eight witnesses, among whom were
soldiers, policemen and officials of State Security
Services, were called by the APC to prove the
allegations that the April 11 governorship
election in the state was marred by violence.
Some of the witnesses had testified that there
was no election while others claimed that the
election was disrupted by shooting of guns by
some hoodlums and ballot snatching.
The INEC witnesses, however, said the election
was peaceful, credible and that all legal
procedures for the election were also followed
before the declaration of Governor Nyesom
Wike as the winner of the governorship poll.
All the witnesses, who were presiding officers in
five local government areas, namely Degema,
Gokana, Ogba /Egbema/Ndoni, Andoni and
Opobo/Nkoro, added that the card readers and
manual accreditation were used during the
election.
The Presiding Officer at Ward 4 Unit 10, Mr
Derekunor Richmond, described the soldiers
who testified earlier as liars who were not at the
polling unit.
He said the governorship election was peaceful,
credible and conducted in line with the Electoral
Act and INEC guidelines.
Richmond pointed out that he met other
presiding officers, who participated in the
collation exercise at the ward collation centre
where results were compiled.
Another Presiding Officer, Nwachukwu
Chimezie, who conducted election at Unit 9,
Ward 14 of Degema, noted that the election was
peaceful and credible in his jurisdiction.
According to Chimezie, the soldiers and riot
policemen, who testified before the tribunal lied
on oath.
He said Degema LGA was peaceful on Election
Day as he slept in the town on April 10 with no
case of shooting or thuggery witnessed.
He added that all electoral procedures were
followed before the results were declared in the
presence of party agents.
Another INEC witness, Apoodari Dilo, the
Presiding Officer for Unit 4 Ward 4 in Gokana,
berated the soldiers, saying there was no
violence during the governorship election. www.punchng.com/news/soldiers-policemen-lied-on-rivers-election-inec-witnesses/

it is strange for a party to claim that there was no election in an lga and even more shameful to use officers of the well respected NA to play this script. but as always the case with lies they went ahead to make this claim even in IKWERRE LGA where fmr. gov AMAECHI comes from, while Amaechi can be seen on video clips casing his vote after inspecting the result sheets. If they lied in Ikwerre lga what is the chance that they did not lie in the other LGA's where they made such claims. This change na wah ooi