INEC is destroying the foundation of democracy, Wike declares

RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the state did not celebrate democracy day because the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had destroyed the foundation of democracy by plotting to allocate legislative seats in the state.

The governor also declared that his administration would deliver more pro-people projects and programmes in his second year in office.

Speaking during a thanksgiving mass to mark the first anniversary of his administration at Our Lady of Holy Rosary of the Catholic Institute of West Africa, CIWA, in Port Harcourt on Sunday, Governor Wike said that INEC had perfected plans to allocate legislative seats in Rivers State instead of conducting the inconclusive re-run elections in the state.

He said: “We will not celebrate democracy because INEC wants to determine who will represent Rivers State. After two months of cancellation of elections, so that it can allocate some seats to APC and others to PDP. Is that democracy?

“We beg INEC to hasten to conduct election. We are not saying that INEC should allocate seats to us. We don’t want allocation, we want voting

“We will not accept allocation of seats. We will only accept elections for the remaining seats”.

On his first year in office, Governor Wike said despite the challenges faced by his administration, he performed creditably, ensuring that the people enjoyed the dividends of democracy.

He said that the successes already recorded would be surpassed in his second year in office.

He disclosed that the administration had taken measures to save funds through biometrics to determine the true number of civil servants in the employment of the state government.

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He added that the state government had already paid the April salaries of the 13000 civil servants who had completed their biometrics.

According to the governor, only civil servants who have done their biometrics will henceforth receive their salaries.

He added that all 54,000 civil servants must physically present themselves for biometrics before they were considered to be employees of the Rivers State Government.

On security, Wike said he had provided the needed logistics for security agencies to improve security across the state.

He said he had received assurances that in the coming months, security would improve.

He declared that nobody was above the law in the state, pointing out that anybody that committed a crime would be duly prosecuted.