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| President Buhari with Tonye Cole during the presidential campaign in Rivers |
The Director, Strategic Communications of Tonye Cole Campaign Organisation, Tonye Princewill, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to cancel the governorship election in Rivers State and start the process afresh.
In the alternative, he said pending the resolution of all legal matters, the commission could announce the results so far collated per local government area, up to the point the electoral process was suspended.
Princewill made the call in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday.
He said those of them in the state knew that there was no widespread violence during the March 9 governorship election that called for a total suspension of the process throughout the state.
He wondered how the commission got results in 17 out of 23 local government areas if indeed there was widespread violence.
The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress said the electoral body must apologise to the people of the state and the Nigerian Army.
Princewill said, “We know that widespread violence leaves a trail of death and destruction. If that was the case, how come INEC was able to declare results for presidential election when death and destruction were validated, but not for the governorship election when death and destruction were unconfirmed?
“If INEC wants to be a responsible umpire, beyond obeying the courts, it will now need to do the following.
“The commission must apologise to Rivers people and the security agencies, especially the army, to rebuild the sense of joint duty needed to move forward.
“INEC must issue a statement condemning the violence meted out to all sides with specific reference to the state governor’s illegal storming of a collation centre.
“The commission must cancel the entire process and start again or pending the resolution of all legal matters, announce the results as collated per LGA, up to the point of ‘suspension.’
“It must also change the REC and principal officers who will conduct the election whenever the opportunity so provides, as there is no confidence in their neutrality and/or competence to conduct a free and fair election.”
