The All Progressives Congress (APC), says it has facts on Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) move to scuttle the Port Harcourt Constituency 3 bye-election.
Mr Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, State Chairman of APC in Rivers also alleged that Wike offered him N200 million bribe to compromise the election, while over time had placed many INEC officials in Port Harcourt on his payroll.
Flag-Amachree stated this at a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday.
He claimed that the APC candidate for the bye-election, Chief Dickens Worlu was comfortably leading in most polling units before Gov. Wike mobilised his Chief Security Officer, Mr Promise Nwosu with armed men to invade the units.
He further alleged that the invasion of the polling units with armed men attached to the Rivers Government House was to disrupt the peaceful process and rig the election in favour of the PDP candidate.
“In the process, several shots were fired to intimidate both voters and election officials but most of the voters in the constituency stood their ground and resisted the state of shootings and intimidation.
“Having failed to substantially cow the voters especially APC members, Wike reached me and pleaded to have my cooperation and in return get N200m bribe, which I declined and reported same to the APC leadership.
“In failed mission to bribe me and intimidate voters, Gov. Wike and his CSO became more determined to scuttle the bye-election, decide to undertake smear campaign against me as demonstrated in his broadcast,” he alleged.
According to Flag-Amachree, Gov. Wike has all the Electoral Officers (EOs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers on his payroll with the purpose of compromising the 2019 election in advance.
“Wike has been paying a monthly sum between N1m to N3m to various officers depending on rank, and he has penciled down key security agents to compromise elections in the state.
“We are not also surprised that INEC and Gov. Wike are working hand-in-gloves to rig elections in Rivers,” he claimed.
The chairman said the APC believes that the recruitment and posting of a confessed PDP apologist and virulent critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, Mr Obo Effanga is beyond mere accident.
“The highly convoluted memo suspending the bye-election further attests to the fact of a well-entrenched bias on the part of the INEC REC.
“There was an op-ed published on a national daily on the 30th of May 2016 titled: “The ‘Change’ government one year after by Mr Obo Effanga before he was mysteriously employed and posted to Rivers,” he said.
Flag-Amachree urged INEC in Rivers to immediately conclude the process by announcing the winner of the By-Election without further delay.
He dismissed Gov. Wike’s allegations against the Commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), ACP Akin Fakorede of meddling in the by-election.
(NAN)
