Thousands of Rivers State residents from the 23 local government areas of the state, yesterday, took to the streets to protest alleged plots by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to use the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to manipulate the forthcoming governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state.
The protesters who marched through several streets in Port Harcourt City terminated their march on Aba Road office of INEC.
They displayed placards which read: “Rivers State is not for sale, ‘Rivers is for PDP,’ ‘Amaechi is a traitor,’ ‘We will vote Wike on Saturday no matter what Amaechi and APC do,’ ‘ Jega don’t be deceived by Amaechi’s money and tricks, we need free and fair elections, ‘Jega don’t send Amaechi’s stooge to conduct elections in Rivers State,’ among others.
Among the protesters were senators elect, members of the House of Representatives, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, youth groups, market women, student bodies, non-indigenes and leaders of PDP in the state.
Mrs. Betty Apiaji who spoke during the protest, said the APC only accepts an election to be free and fair when it wins, dismissing allegations of bias levelled against the Resident Electoral Commissioner and security agencies in the state as unfounded.
She said that Rivers State was a PDP state as exemplified by the last presidential and National Assembly elections, pointing out that the violence being sponsored by the gogernor and the APC will not deter the party from winning the governorship and state Assembly elections.
According to her, the people have since turned their backs on the state governor and the APC because the resources of the state have been used to corruptly enrich APC leaders across the country, while development suffers in the state.
She advised the INEC leadership in Abuja not to fall prey to the cheap blackmail of the APC, as the people of Rivers State are ready to defend their votes.
She said: “Rivers State is ready for the governorship and state assembly elections. We are here to declare that we are ready for free and fair elections on Saturday. The governor is afraid of elections because he is not popular in the state, that is why he has re – located to Abuja to manipulate INEC.”
Rivers State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Nwanosike Samuel added that the party has received information that the state governor is bribing top INEC leadership to redeploy the current Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC and allow him nominate his crony, so that he can rig the governorship election in Government House, Port Harcourt.
He said: “This information is available to the PDP and we shall not allow Amaechi and the enemies of Rivers State take us for a ride. In Rivers State, the will of the people must prevail. Amaechi has never won an election in this state and he will lose next Saturday’s elections because the people know him as the traitor of the Niger Delta.”
Also speaking, Mr Evans Bipi of the Rivers State House of Assembly said that the entire Rivers people are ready for credible and transparent elections. He noted that the evil machinations of Amaechi and the APC will be resisted, urging the INEC headquarters not to be swayed by their propaganda and plot to impose a REC on the state who will do their bidding.
Rivers State INEC Administrative Secretary, Mr R. Obiju who received the protesters assured that the elections will be free and fair. He commended them for their peaceful conduct during the protest.
The protesters who marched through several streets in Port Harcourt City terminated their march on Aba Road office of INEC.
They displayed placards which read: “Rivers State is not for sale, ‘Rivers is for PDP,’ ‘Amaechi is a traitor,’ ‘We will vote Wike on Saturday no matter what Amaechi and APC do,’ ‘ Jega don’t be deceived by Amaechi’s money and tricks, we need free and fair elections, ‘Jega don’t send Amaechi’s stooge to conduct elections in Rivers State,’ among others.
Among the protesters were senators elect, members of the House of Representatives, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, youth groups, market women, student bodies, non-indigenes and leaders of PDP in the state.
Mrs. Betty Apiaji who spoke during the protest, said the APC only accepts an election to be free and fair when it wins, dismissing allegations of bias levelled against the Resident Electoral Commissioner and security agencies in the state as unfounded.
She said that Rivers State was a PDP state as exemplified by the last presidential and National Assembly elections, pointing out that the violence being sponsored by the gogernor and the APC will not deter the party from winning the governorship and state Assembly elections.
According to her, the people have since turned their backs on the state governor and the APC because the resources of the state have been used to corruptly enrich APC leaders across the country, while development suffers in the state.
She advised the INEC leadership in Abuja not to fall prey to the cheap blackmail of the APC, as the people of Rivers State are ready to defend their votes.
She said: “Rivers State is ready for the governorship and state assembly elections. We are here to declare that we are ready for free and fair elections on Saturday. The governor is afraid of elections because he is not popular in the state, that is why he has re – located to Abuja to manipulate INEC.”
Rivers State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Nwanosike Samuel added that the party has received information that the state governor is bribing top INEC leadership to redeploy the current Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC and allow him nominate his crony, so that he can rig the governorship election in Government House, Port Harcourt.
He said: “This information is available to the PDP and we shall not allow Amaechi and the enemies of Rivers State take us for a ride. In Rivers State, the will of the people must prevail. Amaechi has never won an election in this state and he will lose next Saturday’s elections because the people know him as the traitor of the Niger Delta.”
Also speaking, Mr Evans Bipi of the Rivers State House of Assembly said that the entire Rivers people are ready for credible and transparent elections. He noted that the evil machinations of Amaechi and the APC will be resisted, urging the INEC headquarters not to be swayed by their propaganda and plot to impose a REC on the state who will do their bidding.
Rivers State INEC Administrative Secretary, Mr R. Obiju who received the protesters assured that the elections will be free and fair. He commended them for their peaceful conduct during the protest.
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