Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has accused the
Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) of colluding with a
syndicate caught on Saturday printing fake election results sheets.
This follows the arrest of one Mr Atonye Peters and others on
Saturday with fake INEC result sheets at a private printing press in
D-Line axis of Port Harcourt.
Wike, who briefed newsmen in the presence of party stakeholders yesterday in Government House, Port Harcourt, said the bursting of the contracted printer has shown that the electoral umpire was colluding with the opposition, the All ProgressIves Congress(APC) to rig the upcoming re-runs slated for December 10th following a National Assembly resolution.
He expressed worry that until now no information or meeting has been scheduled with stakeholders by INEC on the units, wards where the rerun elections will be conducted, but rather the electoral body was busy scheming with the opposition on how to rig the elections.
The Rivers State governor said the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not fold its arms to watch glaring theft of the peoples mandate saying the sensitive material caught with the printers show that INEC is already compromised.
Aside that , he reasoned that INEC has contrived a fresh ploy to shift the elections again,” I will not be surprised if INEC goes ahead to postpone the conduct the elections…We know their antics we know what INEC would want to do.”
According to Wike, the plan is to swap original result sheets with the fake they printed so they can win in the upcoming election but said, “ we are not in Edo this is Rivers State.”
On the claims made by APC that the printer and those caught duplicating INEC sensitive materials as the handiwork of the PDP to malign the opposition, Wike said the evidence is glaring noting that the printer is the cousin of APC guber candidate in 2015 elections and also a card carrying member of the opposition party.
Insisting that the evidence is overwhelming against the APC, Wike displayed the printer, and the other sensitive materials seized from the culprits adding that, “ if the police fails to prosecute them, we will help ourselves, but as law abiding citizens we will want police to their job.”
Wike has also disclosed of plans by the police to bury the matter following the involvement of prominent APC chieftains in a fake result syndicate caught on Saturday in Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State governor in a chat with newsmen yesterday said, “ the police must go and arrest Emma Chinda the evidence is overwhelming against him.
The fake result printer when he was interrogated alleged that Emma Chinda gave them the contract to print the materials.
But Wike warned that the party will write to President Buhari as the matter is a dent to his administration’s quest to fight corruption.
“ I’am aware that if Mr President hears this he will never support it, because this is corruption,” the governor maintained.
The Printing Press, Help-Mate Consult, located at #12, Isiokpo Street, D-Line, Port Harcourt, was printing fake result sheets for seven local government areas of the Rivers South-East when the police stormed the facility following a tip-off by a concerned Nigerian.
The Director of Help-Mate Consult, Atonye Petersides, a prominent member of the APC from Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, claimed that the printing contract was given to him by an APC chieftain and former commissioner for agriculture under Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi-led administration, Emma Chinda.
According to him, the printing press has already completed two sets for two local government areas before the police got wind of the illegal act.
He was arrested alongside three of his staff, Richard Koko from Okrika, Nanee Godday from Khana and Tammy Garrick.
Items recovered by the police at the printing press, include state-of-the-art printing machine and computers.
The police also recovered Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Sheets Serial Number Booklets, which the printer used to authenticate the result sheets.
In an interview, Rivers State Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Bro Felix Obuah said the arrest of the fake printers of rerun elections result sheets has vindicated the body on the plan INEC and APC have to rig the forthcoming rerun elections.
The Rivers IPAC Secretary and Chairman, Accord Party, Sir Precious Baridoo, also condemned the plot to use fake result sheets to rig the rerun elections, warning that both the APC and INEC would be resisted.
Also speaking, Hon. Uchechukwu Ichenwo urged the police to prosecute all INEC and Rivers APC officials involved in the printing of the fake rerun elections result sheets.
In their remarks, both the Chairman, Social Democratic Party, Engr Worlu, and Chairman, Nigeria Peoples Party, Deacon Princewill, said that on no account should the matter be swept under the carpet by the federal authorities.
Also, Rivers Police Command said yesterday that it had arrested three persons for allegedly printing fake ballot papers for the re-run legislative election in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed December 10 to conduct the election in the state.
A DSP and Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Nnamdi Omoni, told newsmen that the suspects were arrested on Saturday at D/Line area of Port Harcourt.
He said personnel of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) made the arrest.
“ I can confirm the arrest of three suspects. The matter is with us and the Commissioner of Police has ordered discreet investigation.
“ I can assure you that it is being given adequate attention and at the end of investigation, we will come out with our position,” he said.
Omoni said that the state CID was currently handling the matter while the command would make its findings known at the end of the investigation.
He urged the people to give police useful information that would assist it fight crime in the state.
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