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AMAECHI ACCUSES FIRST LADY OF PLOTTING TO RIG ELECTIONS

Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, has accused the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, of putting pressure on the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Gesila Khan, to rig the tomorrow’s election in favour of the Peoples Democratic Congress (PDP).
Amaechi said the first lady, who arrived Port Harcourt on Wednesday, has been holding series of meetings with senior officers in the security agencies including the resident electoral commissioner on the elections.
The governor spoke yesterday at the Dr. Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, while addressing stakeholders on how to approach Saturday’s governorship and house of assembly elections.

Amaechi said: “The wife of the president has been holding series of meetings in her house aimed at influencing the outcome of the election. We will resist it. We will not allow what happened during the presidential election to happen again. Mrs. Jonathan cannot choose a governor for us. Rivers people have the right to choose who should be their governor.
“Let the wife of the president remain in her house. She should not foist a candidate on us. We the people of Rivers State will decide who our next governor will be. The president’s wife brought militants back to Rivers State so that they can be used to rig election. We will chase away the militants after the election.”
Amaechi maintained that members of the APC, would not vote in all the units and wards in the 23 local governments of the state if they did not see the result sheets.
The governor said: “We will not vote if we don’t see the result sheets. Ask the INEC officials for the result sheets. If they fail to produce it, then form a human ring round the INEC officials and together with the security men escort the ad-hoc staff to the local government headquarters and lodge your complains. But make sure nobody votes in any unit that cannot produce the original result sheets. We will not accept photocopies”.
“We will do what we do in our village: we call it the Ubima formula. Our youths usually lock down the village: No one comes in and no one goes out. I am pleading that INEC should not endanger the lives of its staff by holding on to the original result sheets.”
“Don’t allow any INEC official to leave your unit or your village if he or she fails to do the right thing. This time nobody will write fake results and go scot free. Don’t allow voting to commence until you see the result sheet. And also ensure that the results of your units are announced and pasted by the INEC officials before they leave your units.”
Amaechi however said security agencies had assured him that adequate security would be provided in all parts of the state. He therefore urged the people of the state to come out and vote.
He noted that the PDP’s tactics was to intimidate the voters so that they would stay away from the polling units so as to give room to rig the election.
“The PDP doesn’t believe in the process of voting. PDP believes in writing results. But that will not be possible in the governorship election. This time, our votes must count. INEC does not have the right to choose our governor for us,” he insisted.
Amaechi also vowed that those responsible for the killing of APC members and supporters in Obrikom and Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) and other parts of the state would be made to face the full wrath of the law before the end of his administration.
He disclosed that three persons connected with the killings at ONELGA had been arrested by the police and had made confessional statements.
He announce a ban on the use of motor bikes, popularly called ‘okada’, in ONELGA, Ahoada East, Ahoada West and Abua/Odual, areas until after the election. The ban, he stated, was to forestall the movement of arms by political thugs, hoodlums and hired assassins.
Source: Thisday
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