PDP won back control of the key oil-producing state of Rivers,
official results showed on Monday, after rigging claims by the main
opposition.
Nyesom Wike, from President Goodluck Jonathan's Peoples Democratic
Party, won 1 029 102 votes, while Dakuku Peterside, of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), won 124 896, the electoral commission
said.
The APC, which previously controlled the state, described the result
as "a rape of democracy" but the PDP said it was a "a reflection of
the people's confidence" in them.
Rivers was a key battleground for both parties in the gubernatorial
elections held on Saturday, given the oil and gas sector that is
largely based in the southern delta region.
Tensions were high because outgoing governor Rotimi Amaechi had
switched sides from the PDP to the APC in 2013 and become a vocal
critic of Jonathan's government.
Also Read: Rivers police suspected of electoral foul play
There were widespread claims from the APC of PDP irregularities in
voting in the state at the presidential election held two weeks ago,
leading to demonstrations and calls for a re-run.
Rivers voted nearly 95 percent in favour of Jonathan but the president
lost the election nationally to the APC's Muhammadu Buhari, who
secured the first opposition win in the country's history.
The state's information commission Ibim Semenitari said of the
gubernatorial result: "What happened on Saturday was a rape of
democracy. There was no election in Rivers.
"The PDP in connivance with INEC (Independent National Electoral
Commission) and the security agencies merely wrote figures which they
have churned out to the public," she told AFP.
She added: "We are going to challenge the results."
Local PDP spokesman Emmanuel Okha, however, said: "The people have
spoken. We urge the APC to accept the results in good faith."
official results showed on Monday, after rigging claims by the main
opposition.
Nyesom Wike, from President Goodluck Jonathan's Peoples Democratic
Party, won 1 029 102 votes, while Dakuku Peterside, of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), won 124 896, the electoral commission
said.
The APC, which previously controlled the state, described the result
as "a rape of democracy" but the PDP said it was a "a reflection of
the people's confidence" in them.
Rivers was a key battleground for both parties in the gubernatorial
elections held on Saturday, given the oil and gas sector that is
largely based in the southern delta region.
Tensions were high because outgoing governor Rotimi Amaechi had
switched sides from the PDP to the APC in 2013 and become a vocal
critic of Jonathan's government.
Also Read: Rivers police suspected of electoral foul play
There were widespread claims from the APC of PDP irregularities in
voting in the state at the presidential election held two weeks ago,
leading to demonstrations and calls for a re-run.
Rivers voted nearly 95 percent in favour of Jonathan but the president
lost the election nationally to the APC's Muhammadu Buhari, who
secured the first opposition win in the country's history.
The state's information commission Ibim Semenitari said of the
gubernatorial result: "What happened on Saturday was a rape of
democracy. There was no election in Rivers.
"The PDP in connivance with INEC (Independent National Electoral
Commission) and the security agencies merely wrote figures which they
have churned out to the public," she told AFP.
She added: "We are going to challenge the results."
Local PDP spokesman Emmanuel Okha, however, said: "The people have
spoken. We urge the APC to accept the results in good faith."
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