RIVERS State Governor, Mr. Rotimi
Amaechi, refused to be accredited over the refusal of officials of the
Independent National Electoral Commission to produce the result sheet
for his polling unit at Omuanwa Ward in the Ikwerre Local Government
Area.
The governor, who turned up around
10.00am at his polling unit, was told that there were no election result
sheets and that the card readers deployed in the area failed to work.
Amaechi, who is the Director-General of
the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation,
accused the Peoples Democratic Party of plotting to rig the presidential
elections in the state. It is unlikely if Amaechi performed his civic
right. His convoy was seen returning back to the State House in Port
Harcourt almost immediately.
He later addressed a crowd of voters and
declared that there would be no accreditation or voting in the area
since the result sheets were not available.
The governor disclosed that he had
called the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Gecila Khan, who
told him that the result sheets had been dispatched to the necessary
points.
“The result sheets have not been brought
here. The same thing is happening all over the local government area.
We have, therefore, resolved not to be involved in the election until
the result sheets are brought,” the governor said.
However, a mild drama ensued as Amaechi drove towards his ward to have a glimpse of goings-on before being accredited.
The governor was stopped by the Brigade
Commander, 2 Brigade, Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, Brigadier General Essien
Essien, who told him not to drive around during election since he had
not been accredited by INEC.
When the governor tried to move, a group of soldiers blocked his convoy, a development that caused anxiety for about 12 minutes.
The governor queried the rationale behind the action of the soldiers, who he accused of blocking the road to his father’s house.
“Are you being sent by President
Jonathan to kill me? I had told the world that President Jonathan is
trying to kill me and I am saying it again,” the governor said.
Essien, however, told Amaechi that they
were not given any directive to kill anybody, even as he insisted that
the governor should go back home and stop moving around the area.
He told the governor that the military
did not block the road leading to his house, but only carrying out
instruction to maintain law and order.
“Your Excellency, we have instructions
not to allow people who are not duly accredited to move around during
the election. That is why we are advising you to go back to your house
and wait there until the election is over.
Amaechi later decided to go to the
Government House in Port Harcourt after the exchange of words between
him and the Brigade Commander, adding that he would only come back for
accreditation if the result sheets were ready.
The governor had earlier dared the
soldiers to arrest him, saying, “Arrest me if that’s what you want to do
or allow me return to Government House in Port Harcourt. This house is
my father’s house. I don’t have a house in my village.”
Meanwhile, the PDP governorship
candidate in Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, cast his vote after
accreditation around 2.30pm. Wike, who is a former Minister of State for
Education, came in company with his wife, Suzeth, to the Unit 7, Ward 9
polling station in Obio/Akpor area in Ikwerre.
Addressing journalists after voting,
Wike called for calm while describing the election in the state as
“relatively commendable” except for a handful cases of card reader
malfunction which almost hindered accreditation.
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