The all Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has alleged that the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Gesila Khan has barred its agents from accessing the
INEC premises to photocopy result sheets for the last elections in preparation for the party’s appearance at the tribunal.
“Since our agents began to visit the INEC they have been witnesses to gross misconduct and extensive electoral fraud going on in the INEC headquarters under the meticulous supervision of the Rec Geisila Khan and the head of administration Mr. Bocco.
“At the INEC headquarters, the peoples Democratic Party, PDP has been given unfettered access to thumb print ballot papers so as to correspond with the figures they have allocated to their candidates and others,” a statement by Ibim Semenitari, Director, communications, Greater Together Campaign Organisation.
The statement claimed that as at Friday afternoon, the thumb printing and result writing was still going on in three locations, the strong room of INEC near the Administrative Secretary’s office, the store and inner store of the commission, next door to the legal officer locked with people inside and the 23 LGA offices of INEC in Rivers State.
The statement further claimed that Peter Ogunte, an INEC staff is coordinating the exercise.
As soon as the elections were ended, the APC state party agent had written
to the REC requesting for essential documents such as voters registers, materials distribution forms E25A, query Log for accredited voters and result sheets for all the 23 LGA’s.
Under the electoral law all results and other materials used for the elections are meant to be available and accessible to all parties as soon as the elections are over to enable those who need to go persons have 21 days within which to file any applications at the Elections tribunal.
The APC said that it has sent several reminders to the Rivers REC, stressing that as at today, “12 days after the purported elections we are yet to receive the result
sheets for five local government areas, only for party agents to be denied entry.
“The question to ask, Mrs. Khan and Mr. Bocco is what are they hiding and what other evil are they contriving? Since after the show of shame in Rivers State on March 28th and April 11th, the PDP and INEC in Rivers state have been re- writing the results,
doctoring documents and thumb printing ballot papers in its offices as well as hotels.”
“The APC had raised this alarm repeatedly and wishes to reiterate its call on INEC Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega to direct “Mrs. Khan to comply with the electoral law as well as the freedom of information act and move all sensitive material for the Rivers Elections away from Rivers State.
“We believe that Rivers people deserve to elect the government that would serve them, protect and defend their interest. Mrs. Khan and Mr. Bocco should not be allowed to wickedly thwart this most fundamental of all human rights as even God almighty allows us His creation our right to choose,” Semenitari said in the statement.
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