Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot be trusted to conduct credible polls in 2019 because of the inconsistent actions of the commission.
Wike, who disclosed this yesterday during a special appearance on a national television, which was monitored in Port Harcourt, said though Rivers people are peace-loving, they will resist any attempt to rig the 2019 elections in the state.
The governor said: “INEC has different interpretations of judgments depending on where it is coming from. When the court nullified the Rivers APC primaries, a lawyer of one of the factions wrote to INEC not to recognize any candidate because of the judgment.
“INEC wrote to APC notifying them of the outcome of that judgement. INEC merely said they were in receipt of the letter requesting that INEC should obey. In the case of PDP, INEC wrote to PDP in Ogun State, where Buruji dragged the party to court, telling them they will comply.
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“When there is a judgment against PDP, there is immediate enforcement. When it concerns APC, INEC says they are studying the judgement. In the case of Ogun State PDP, INEC quickly obeyed the judgement”.
He stated that INEC should work as an unbiased umpire, ensuring that the Electoral Act is respected at all times and due process followed in the conduct of elections.
Wike noted that INEC has been involved in several under-the-table actions in Rivers State since 2010, pointing out that during the rerun elections, INEC connived with the Police to deny the people of Rivers East senatorial district their rightful mandate.
The governor stated that INEC and security agencies should commit themselves to credible polls, noting that INEC and security agencies should sign a pact to respect the tenets of the Electoral Act.
Wike, who noted that security agencies have played negative roles in over-heating the polity in Rivers State, said: “It is INEC and Security that don’t want us to have peaceful elections in Rivers State”.
