PDP wins Rivers legislative re-run elections in Etche/Omuma constituencies

The Peoples Democratic Party has won all last Saturday’s supplementary legislative re-run elections held in Etche/Omuma federal and state constituencies of Rivers state.

According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Sunday, the All Progressives Congress, APC, polled 6,220 votes while its arch rival, the PDP polled 15,221 votes to win.

Following the declaration of the result, Jerome Eke of the PDP defeated his closest rival, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke of the APC for the Federal House of Representatives seat, according to the result announced by the Returning Officer for the Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency election, Professor Shola Omotola.

The electoral empire also declared Hon. Tony Ejiogu of the PDP winner with 4,162 votes to defeat his APC rival, Hon. Golden Chioma who scored 1, 618 votes for the Etche State Constituency 11 in the State House Assembly.

Meanwhile the APC in the state has reject the results as declared by INEC, saying it would hold onto the initial position of the Returning Officers, Prof. Olatunbosun Odusanya and Prof. Omotola, respectively at the Okehi, that the results were inconclusive.

“They had subsequently announced that the conclusion of the process would take place today (Sunday) or on Monday. However, we were taken aback when it was reported that the National Electoral Commissioner in charge, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, had ordered that the incomplete results be declared despite the earlier declaration by the two Returning Officers on Saturday at Okehi that the elections were inconclusive.

“The APC vehemently rejects the results as declared today (Sunday) at the State INEC Office in Port Harcourt. This action by INEC runs counter and contradictory to earlier announcement on Saturday by the aforementioned Returning Officers who are the duly empowered persons to make such declarations.

“What INEC did today is a rape on democracy and the APC will surely resist it with every legal window available to it. INEC can only do what it did today because Gov. Nyesom Wike has, as usual, generously compromised key officials of INEC in Rivers State,” the APC said in a statement signed by its state Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, issued shortly after the announcements.

The APC noted that despite the general outcry concerning Governor Nyesom Wike’s alleged interference in the electoral process, the governor “physically held hostage a Returning Officer to force him announce results in a manner unbecoming of a governor.”

The party, therefore, called on INEC leadership and security agencies to investigate the incident, recalling “that this same compromised INEC in Rivers State embarked on the now infamous 2015 elections which is unarguably the worst election in the annals of Nigeria.

The APC alleged that during the December 10, 2016, rerun that followed, INEC continued to exhibit unwarranted contradictions and unwholesome mishandling of the process which it said resulted in the further rescheduling of the rerun elections for Etche State Constituency and Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency. “Sadly, INEC has, once again, bungled it,” Dr. Ikanya stated.