Rivers, Akwa Ibom results cant be cancelled –INEC

It was learnt that the electoral body has said it has no authority to
cancel the results of the governorship and state Houses of Assembly
elections in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu, said
those calling on the commission to cancel the results were
misdirecting their request.
He explained that once results had been announced by INEC , only
election petition tribunals had the power to cancel and order fresh
elections.
Idowu said, "The law does not allow us to cancel any result after it
has been announced. Everyone knows this.
"It is only the election petition tribunals that can order that or
even cancelled the elections. We would advice anyone who is aggrieved
to go to the court. "
Also in Abuja on Monday, EU EOM said the elections in Akwa Ibom and
Rivers states needed to be probed because of accusations of rigging,
intimidation and violence by opponents of the winners.
Udom Emmanuel won the governorship in election in Akwa Ibom while a
former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, triumphed in
Rivers.
The Chief Observer of the EU EOM, Santiago Fisas, said at a news
conference that even though the elections witnessed "more
efficient polling, "there were "increased incidents of violence and
interference."
He added, "On April 12, INEC referred to 66 reports of violent
incidents targeting polling units, INEC officials, voters and election
materials in 19 states in all geopolitical zones except for the
North-East.
"Both the main parties made many accusations of rigging, intimidation
and violence by opponents. Problems were most pronounced in Rivers and
Akwa Ibom states where there are multiple credible reports of violence
and interference, which warrant further investigation."
Fisas however encouraged those with grievances to address them through
official channels.
The Chief observer also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for
conceding defeat before the last result was read.
Fisas, who described the election-related killings as regrettable,
stressed that loss of lives was unacceptable in election conduct.
He said, "It is very regrettable that so many people lost their lives
during the elections. Election must be violence-free; loss of lives is
not acceptable. Citizens should be able to express their political
will freely without fear for their lives.
"My full condolences go to families and friends of those who have been
killed during this election process; also to the family of the
Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, who perished with his family
in the tragic fire."
Also on Monday, the United States which congratulated Nigerians and
INEC on the successful conduct of the general elections, said it had
"seen the reports of violence and alleged irregularities, particularly
in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states."
In a statement by its Embassy in Nigeria, the US callED on those
dissatisfied to pursue their grievances peacefully through the
judiciary.
The statement read in part, "The US Embassy in Nigeria congratulates
the people of Nigeria and INEC for an electoral process on April 11,
2015 that generally went well across the country and built on the
success of the March 28 polling process.
"We have seen the reports of violence and alleged irregularities,
particularly in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, and call on those
dissatisfied to pursue their grievances peacefully in the judicial
arena. We regret any loss of life and destruction of property."
It lauded "the leadership of Nigeria's political parties, notably
President Goodluck Jonathan and President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, for
urging their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully throughout
the electoral process."
Presidency, militants rigged elections in Rivers, A'Ibom–APC
But in Lagos, the national leadership of the APC accused the
Presidency and Niger Delta militants of rigging the elections in two
states.
The APC, at a news conference by its Publicity Secretary, Lai
Mohammed, described the elections in the states as a mockery of
democracy.
It therefore called on INEC to cancel the elections.
The party said, "It is clear that the script for the distortion of the
Rivers elections was written by the Presidency and executed by the
PDP, the police and militants
"As you would recollect, our party's chapter in Rivers had written a
petition complaining of the crass partisanship of the Rivers State
Commissioner of Police in the presidential and National Assembly
elections held on March 28.
"Because of this petition, the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman
Abba, posted three police commissioners from the Force Headquarters in
Abuja to oversee the April 11 elections in Rivers State.
"As soon as the President learnt of this development, he directed the
IG to reverse the decision and instead requested that AIG Tunde
Ogunsakin be posted to oversee the April 11 elections in Rivers
State."
The APC spokesman said as soon as electoral materials were
distributed, a senior police officer in Akukutoru Local Government
Area simply handed over the election materials for this local
government to the militants.
He said upon learning of this development, Ogunshakin ordered that
the materials should be recovered and handed over to the electoral
officer for the LGA within the next hour.
Mohammed said, "Irked by A Ogunsakin's directive, the Presidency
ordered him to leave Rivers State within six hours and a pliant
replacement was asked to take over from him.
"From then on, unimaginative terror was unleashed on the electorate,
in particular on APC members and supporters. It was a straight fight
between the police, the militants and the PDP on the one hand and the
APC on the other hand."
He said in former Governor Victor Attah's ward in Ibesikpo Asutan,
three contiguous polling units did not receive election materials.
Mohammed said that electoral officers even told the APC governorship
candidate, Umana Umana, that the election process was marred by
security failure, which allowed PDP thugs to hijack election materials
and take them to private homes for thumb-printing.
The PDP however said it was wrong for the APC to call for the
cancellation of the results because there was no way it would not
have won the polls in the two states.
APC is wrong, says PDP
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, told one
our correspondents that the PDP might as well demand that the
presidential election be canceled because of the irregularities it
noticed.
He said, "There was no way we wouldn't have won the elections in both
Rivers and Akwa Ibom states because they are our stronghold.
"Maybe we should as well ask that the presidential election be
canceled because of the irregularities we noticed during the conduct
of the election."
Metuh called on the APC to learn to accept the outcomes of elections
Meanwhile, THE announcement of the governorship election results by
INEC enetered a second day on Monday with the APC winning additional
six states and the PDP, three.
The states whose results were announced in APC's favour are Zamfara,
Jigawa, Adamawa, Niger, Nasarawa and Borno. The PDP had Rivers,
Delta and Cross River states.
As of Sunday midnight, INEC had formally declared the candidates of
the APC in 13 states as winners. The states are Sokoto, Kebbi, Kwara,
Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Yobe and
Benue.
It also declared the PDP candidates in Gombe, Enugu, Ebonyi and Akwa
Ibom victorious.
When the results began to trickle in between 1pm and 7pm on Monday,
INEC announced more APC candidates as winners.
In Nasarawa State, Governor Tanko Al-Makura scored 309, 746 votes to
beat his closest rival,Yusuf Agasi of the PDP, who had 178, 983 votes.
Abdulaziz Yari scored 716,964 votes while Mamuda Shinkafi of the PDP
in Zamfara State had 201,938 votes.
Also in Jigawa, Badaru Abubakar defeated Aminu Ringim of the PDP by
polling 648, 045 votes. Ringim had 479,447 votes.
INEC merely confirned unofficial reports of Jibrilla Bindow, Abubakar
Bello and Kashim Shettima's victories in Adamawa, Niger and Borno
states.
Bindow defeated PDP's Nuhu Ribadu by scoring 362,329 votes. Ribadu had
98,917 votes.
While Bello had 593,702 votes, Umar Nasco of the PDP in Niger State
had 239,770 votes.
In Borno State, Shettima scored 649, 913 votes as against 34,005 votes
by Gambo Lawan of the PDP.
The PDP candidates however floored their APC counterparts in Rivers,
Delta and Cross River states.
In Rivers State, a former Minister of State for Education and PDP
torch-bearer, Nyesom Wike, trounced APC's Dakuku Peterside having
polled 1,029,102 votes. Dakuku had 124,896 votes.
In Delta State PDP's Ifeanyi Okowa became governor-elect after
defeating APC's O'tega Emerhor by garnering 724,680 votes. Emerhor had
67, 825 votes.
Benedict Ayade of the PDP in Cross River also handed defeat to his
APC closest rival Odey Ochicha. He polled 342,016 votes as against
Ochicha's 53,983.
INEC which also updated the results of the Benue State election, had
declared the Imo, Abia and Taraba state governorship results
inconclusive.
As of Sunday night when the Imo results were announced uncompleted,
Governor Rochas Okorocha of the APC was leading his PDP counterpart
and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha.
APC's candidate in Taraba State, Jummai Alhassan, was also leading
other candidates in the state.
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