Rivers REC must go, APC tells INEC

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, has called on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to immediately redeploy Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga.

Issa-Onilu said in a statement that the redeployment became necessary to prevent the REC from skewing the forthcoming supplementary elections in favour of the opposition.

He added that it was on record that Gov. Wike, through the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga, engaged PDP card-carrying members as Local Government Area (LGA) Collation Officers in the last poll and was capable of repeating same in forthcoming elections.

He recalled that since the suspension of the electoral process in Rivers, Gov. Wike and the State REC, Obo Effanga, had been re-writing and doctoring unit results in Rivers State Government House to favour Wike.

Issa-Onilu observed the proactive steps taken by security agents to checkmate a repeat of the 2015 killings and destruction, and that the report of the security saying this should be applauded by all peace-loving people.

He, however, called on Nigerians and the international community not to be hoodwinked into believing that Nigerian security agencies interfered in the electoral process in Rivers.

“It is a misleading narrative being planted in the media to particularly blackmail the military and the Federal Government into pulling out security agents from the state,” he said.

This, the APC spokesman said would return the state to the killing field many witnessed before, during and after the 2015 elections.

He recalled that the APC had severally raised alarm over the plot by the opposition PDP to use violence, vote-buying and other election malpractices to subvert the will of the electorate and steal their mandate.

Issa-Onilu said the shocking events leading to the last-minute postponement of the presidential election provided clear evidence with PDP agents caught in different parts of the country with programmed card readers.

He maintained that there was no doubt that the APC candidate obtained the highest number of legitimate votes with the usage of the card reader.

In Rivers, Issa-Onilu said the APC was concerned and deeply troubled by the unfolding events in the state which it condemned in strong terms.

He added that it was on record that Wike through the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga, engaged PDP card-carrying members as Local Government Area (LGA) Collation Officers to skew the elections in favour of Wike and the PDP.