(Press Statement)The All Progressive Congress in Rivers State wishes to protest vehemently the massive writing of results and violence that has characterised the elections in Rivers State.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, a known associate and friend of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan according to the reports, prior to the Saturday March 28th, elections, directed Electoral Officers, EOs, of the 23 local government areas to make coloured photocopies of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Result Sheets. This would cause voters to confuse the fake copies for the original. The reports say that the Electoral Officers in Khana and Gokhana on the directives of the REC, have already written the results as at Thursday night even before the first ballots would have been cast. The reports claim that the results for Okrika the home local government area of Nigeria’s first lady Mrs Patience Jonathan would be written tonight (Friday 27th, 2015). Accreditation of voters may have begun clandestinely with unclaimed pvc’s being used by INEC staff.
In Okrika local government area, home local government area of Mrs. Patience Jonathan, she met with several members of the community including Ateke Tom, a former Niger Delta militant leader who on Friday morning directed voters in Okrika communities to come home and make sure they vote for President Goodluck Jonathan. She also gave directives to INEC E.O to hand over all unclaimed PVC’s to the PDP.
Following these reports the APC in Rivers state alerted authorities and issued a release on Friday March 27, 2015. Besides the massive arrest of APC leadership in Rivers Sate. On the morning of Friday March 27, Mr Emmanuel Deeyah, the State Party agent of the APC was arrested at the premises of INEC and taken away to the SOS.
Preliminary LGA REPORTS
Report: Police surround Andoni Chairman’s house
Troopers of heavily armed policemen have surrounded the house of Andoni Local Government Area, Hon. Esuku Esuku, to effect his arrest. Esuku is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Killings of APC members intensify in Rivers State
Armed militias working for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have intensified their killings of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State. Scores have already been killed and several others marked for elimination. Specifically, PDP armed men target APC strongholds for attack using heavy gunfire. The Greater Together Campaign Organisation, the campaign outfit for Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, has condemned this visit of terror on the state.
GTCO disclosed that on Saturday morning in Kpite Town, Tai Ward 2, 2 people were shot dead by PDP armed militia, and that was before accreditation commenced.
Ibim Semenitari, Director of Communications, Greater Together Campaign Organisation, has condemned the killings and threats for further killings of APC members across Rivers State. “What PDP has been doing is to target APC strongholds and chieftains for attacks and killings. We condemn these visits of violence on APC members. It is unacceptable and is not what democracy should be. PDP should allow Rivers people to vote without guns pointed on their throats”.
Below are situation reports in various units and local government areas as filed by APC agents on the field;
Report: Situation in Gokana
In Gokana Ward 9 Unit 18 INEC materials were provided but without the original Result Sheet. Community members have asked INEC officials to produce the original Result Sheets before accreditation can commence. One Monday Torbe, a PDP member, confessed to being in possession of the original Result Sheets basting that there was nothing the community could do about it.
Akuku Toru: DPO declines deploying officers and men
The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, for Akuku Toru Local government has refused to deploy the police to the various units. Materials are being despatched to Wards without any police or any other security escort. Soldiers and over 30 officers and policemen posted to Akuku Toru for the election have all converged at the residence of Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Nigeria’s Minister of Sports, Abonnema. Armed militia men have been on the streets to stop votes from going out to vote. About 30 APC members have so far been arrested in Abonnema.
In Ward 7 Unit 3, PDP armed militia men have been beating up APC members.
Okrika: PDP hijacks ballot papers, ballot boxes
In Okrika Ward 12 Unit 6 Okriaka Ogoloma, there were no ballot box, no ballot paper.
Andoni: Dep Gov Ikuru hacks into INEC system
Rivers State Deputy Governor Engr. Tele Ikuru, earlier Saturday morning assembled some IT specialists to hack into and manipulate INEC computer system in Andoni local government area. The IT experts are with Ikuru in Ikuryu Town, his home town.
Eleme: Soldiers attack APC youths
Soldiers have attacking APC youths in Alesa Eleme. They have been chasing about and arresting APC youths in Alesa. The soldiers have been shooting along the Roman Catholic Church Road. They are led by Mr. Olaka Nwogu, a senatorial candidate on the platform of PDP.
Abua/Odual: No materials
In Ward 5, there are yet no materials.
Situation report – Tombia, others
Tombia: No security in Tombia, shooting, militants going round threatening that whoever voted for APC would have their hands chopped off. Accreditation ended but PDP militias would not let people cast their ballots.
Tombia: Unconfirmed report that Chairman of Degema Local Government Area, Hon. Daddy Pokima, was kidnapped. The Chairman was travelling when he was whisked away from his boat and bundled into another boat and taken to an unknown location.
Ikwerre: Omerelu Ward 16 – No result sheets
In Omerelu Ward 5, there are no Result Sheets in the 16 Units. Voters refused accreditation unless the result sheets were produced. A stalemate but no report of any violence.
PHALGA: Dakuku senior campaign manager arrested
In PHALGA Ward 9 Unit 10 St Paul’s, security operatives have picked up the APC Polling Agent, Mr. Wosu Kinikanwo. Card reader not working in Ward 10.
Chidiebere Okwuwolu, a Director in the Greater Together Campaign Organisation, has been arrested and taken away to the headquarters of the Olu Obasanjo Divisional Police headquarters.
Ward 16 Obio/Akpor: No INEC officials. Ward 10 Unit 6 Odogbolu – No material. Wards 7, 8, 9, 10 – No Result Sheets.
Abua/Odual: Ward 5 – No materials had arrived. Ward 2 – PDP militia men in red Fez-cap kidnapped Darlington Oku, an APC leader in the Ward.
PHALGA Ward 4, Units 2 and 4 – Card Reader not working.
Okrika: In Rivers State, PDP has all the Result Sheets in their possession. In Okrika, the hometown of Patience Jonathan, materials have arrived and have been taken to the home of Ibibia Walter, the Rivers State PDP Secretary. No materials in any Unit.
Abonnema: Voting taking place without accreditation. Card Reader has been abandoned.
Omuma: Dread-locked policemen invade units
Suspected cloned armed policemen in dreadlocks and bears have taken over several Voting Units in Omuma local government. As policemen cannot be in dreadlocks, it is suspected that the dreaded armed men are PDP militia men. Unit 9 and 10, Ward 9 no result sheet. They are wearing SARS uniform but not police. The people have beards and dreadlocks. In Ward 14, Unit 3 no result sheet. Military men safeguarding PDP and parading the community terrifying the APC members.
Akuku Toru: In Abonnema, Card Readers are not used for accreditation in ant poling unit. There are no Result Sheets. PDP thugs have unleashed mayhem on innocent potential voters. Akuku Toru is tensed. Isobo Jack, a Commissioner in the Rivers State Executive Council, and an APC chieftain, was attacked.
Kaani Ward 6 in Khana – Returning Officers, Presiding Officers, and Assistant Presiding Officers in Khana Ward 16 are all PDP members.
Eleme: Electoral materials have been hijacked and taken away by Mr. Ejor Ngowah Ejor, and Mr. Obo Obaa, 2 PDP leaders in Eleme, alongside Mr. Olaka Nwogu, the PDP Rivers South West senatorial district candidate.
Obio/Akpor – Ward 16, Units 29, 30, 31, 32 Ward and 33. No materials. No accreditation. Ward12 unit 22, Obio/Akpor INEC official just arrived. They are all known PDP members from the community with the exception of the youth corpers.
Ogu/Bolo: All APC Ward Agents have been chase out of the LGA with police and army by Hon. Evans Bipi.
Khana: Ward 6, Khana: No result sheets. Ward 9 – No Result Sheets.
Omuma: Emeka Nwogu said there are no result sheets. He has brought in SARS and soldiers to terrorise voters.
PHALGA: Hon Austin Opara and his wife, Hon. Justice Margaret Opara, accredited manually.
Okrika: Militants attacking Polling Units to disrupt voting so that they will use the accredited number to do mass thumb-printing. The Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside campaign outfit had in a statement days to March 28 exposed the plan.
In the same Okrika, PDP has brought in cultist into Ibuluya Ward 4, Unit 2 Okrika LGA. The cultists were brought in to attack APC members. The cultists have been visiting homes of APC stakeholders. So, all APC members have been forced out of the community.
Ikwerre: At Omuanwa in Ikwerre LGA, accreditation was peaceful but APC is planning a boycott due to the absence of result materials.
APC OKRIKA considering pulling out of a fraudulent accreditation and electoral process
- Sudden change and appearance of fresh and inadequately trained INEC;
- These INEC staff tried to persuade voters to use manual accreditation as they claim that card readers assigned to Okrika LGA polling booths not working (even without trying them);
- In a few units where APC supporters insisted on “No Card, No Accreditation”, the card readers mysteriously began to work. But in majority of the places manual accreditation is being undertaken;
- Insufficient delivery of electoral materials delivered to the LGA by INEC. Up till now no one, not any party agent, has seen the original result collation sheets. The INEC officials claim it’s not every that they must explain. Meanwhile, INEC delivered incident forms far excess of the number of registered voters;
- PDP stalwarts are openly parading bundles of PVC cards in their possession and there are heightened threats that PDP militants will move in to hijack ballot materials once accreditation is completed and they have secured enough accredited voters to aid their rigging plans.
The APC leadership in Okrika is meeting at moment in consideration of a boycott of the elections.
Ikwerre: Pandemonium has broken out in Ozuoha Ward 11in Ikwerre local government, fake result sheets were distributed in the 9 Units in the area. Attempts by voters to correct the anomaly was resisted by PDP members who unleashed a band of armed men dressed in police uniforms who have been punishing people.
One Sampson Chinnah was shot in the legs.
PHALGA: Ward 7 – Victimisation of voters. PDP thugs flogging voters.
New report – Hon. Sokonte Davies, a member of the Federal House of Representatives representing Bonny/Degema, kidnapped in Tombia by a group of PDP militia.
PHALGA: Orogbum Primary School – 2 Card Readers not working. PH Primary School – 1 Card Cad Reader not working.
4 Units in Sangana Ward 4 PHALGA. No Card Readers.
Ikwerre: Former Ikwerre local government Chairman, Hon. Kerian Wobodo, was attacked and injured on the head by PDP thugs. His younger brother , Charles Wobodo, received machete cuts. Several Card Readers were also hijacked while PDP’s armed men had intensified search for APC faithful in Ozuoha who had fled.
PDP writing results in different locations across the state. This explains why there are no result sheets.
Opobo/Nkoro: Harold Peterside PDP agent in unit 006 Ward 3 Opobo/Nkoro caught with INEC Register and fake Results sheet @ the polling unit.
Ikwerre: Ward 11- APC member shot dead by a PDP member.
Eleme: Eleme Wards 1, 2 and 4 had no functional Card Readers. Ward 3, Card Readers were working but INEC officials and PDP thugs de-mobillised the Card Readers.
Ogu/Bolo: In Ward 7 Units 2 and 5 Card Readers not functional.
Materials hijacked by PDP as IYC attacks Chairman, others
Akuku Toru: PDP thugs hijacked materials and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, personnel meant for Akuku Toru Wards 15, 16 and 17. The hijacked materials and men were taken to Freetown, a hinterland coastal community. The attack was led by two youths whose identities are known.
In Tombia, in same Akuku Toru local government, PDP had by Friday night filled the community with Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, bouncers who were attacking APC members and at the same time, preventing those returning home to vote entering the town. They were doing so in the presence of soldiers who were too few in number. The Caretaker Committer Chairman and others were injured on Friday.
In Buguma which is in Asari Toru Loc; government, policemen were busy all day arresting chieftains of All Progressives Congress, APC.
In Gokana local government, trained INEC ad hoc personnel were replaced with untrained manpower suspected to be PDP members. It was believed to have been done in connivance with the LGA Electoral Officer, EO.
Rivers: REC, EOs prepare results ahead of elections
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, has kicked-off the final phase of the rigging regime packaged by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Greater Together Campaign Organisation, GCTO, has revealed. “Last night, the REC directed Electoral Officers, EOs, for the 23 local government areas to photocopy the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Result Sheets, and to confuse the fake copies for the original, Mrs. Khan further directed them to photocopy the sheets in colour”, a statement released today by the campaign outfit read in part.
“Strangely, the EOs, on the directives of the REC, have already written the results of some local government areas even before the first ballots would have been cast. Some of the areas which results have already been written by the REC and the EOs are Khana, Gokana, while that of Okrika would be written today’s night”, the statement added. Mrs. Patience Jonathan, who arrived Port Harcourt Thursday night to oversee the INEC fraud in Okrika, on Friday night commissioned a town-crier who went round Okrika communities directing voters in the area to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan. Her campaign for Jonathan came hours after campaign had ended according to INEC timetable and the Electoral Act.
According to the reports, the Electoral Officers, after doing the colour photocopy, are to start filling in the Forms with fictitious figures allotted to the parties by the REC and PDP. “That done, the results will be swapped for the original results and later announced by INEC”.
GTCO continued: “As part of this evil plot, the REC also directed the Electoral Officers to commence accreditation of voters last night. Having done accreditation 24 hours before polling booths opened, PDP militias will step in and cause mayhem in the polling units. Consequently, soldiers will then step in to ‘save’ INEC officials who would then submit the ‘results’ already prepared. Other voters will be prevented from being accredited.
“We are appalled at Mrs. Khan’s criminal connivance with PDP. We had expected the REC to serve Rivers people no matter their party affiliations. INEC is supposed to be impartial, neutral and apolitical and for the REC to be partying with INEC, then tempts us to believe that she was sent to Rivers State by her concubine to ruin Rivers State. This is criminal, evil and undemocratic.
Subject: Election Report
40,000 incidence forms sent to Oyigbo LGA. They gave it out at 6:30pm on Friday but stopped when the APC Agent complained about it. He was however asked to leave the INEC offices at about 11:30 pm. We believe that they may still give out the incidence forms they have printed as these forms will over-ride the thumb print identification.
Already 120,000 incidence forms were to be sent to Port Harcourt LGA; 80,000 sent to Obio/Akpor and 50, 000 for Ikwerre LGA. The incidence forms are one of the ways PDP plans to use to rig the elections around the country and especially in the South South and South East where the voter numbers are not as high as in other places.
Subject: INEC issuing out incident forms
An anonymous observer reported that cars were seen moving into the Rivers State INEC office to pick up incidence forms. He particularly saw a white Honda Accord vehicle driving into the INEC office and leaving with incidence forms.
Another eye witness saw an INEC pickup pull up into Sapphire Hotel in D/Line which is owned by Chief Azubike Nmerukini, a PDP chieftain. Chief Nmerukini was Chairman of Port Harcourt local government area for two tenures.
Subject: Situation at Abonnema
Mr. Benibo Jack from Abonnema called to brief the Situation Room with regards to the Akuku Toru incident where INEC materials released to three wards namely 15,16 and 17 were hijacked by some unknown boys. Mr Jack was able to intervene with the materials of ward 17 in the hands of the hijackers accompanied by the DSS and EO. He recovered the materials of ward 17 and handed them over to the police, precisely to Inspector Gabriel Rebecca at the Abonnema Police Station
Subject: Opobo/Nkoro attack
There has been an attack on the house of Opobo/Nkoro Caretaker Committee Chairman, Hon. Loveday Jaja. The attackers moved to destroy his house and hurt him but he was not at home. They have been thumb-printing sensitive materials(ballot papers) in John Africa/Ada Tom Pepple compound area. One Barrister J.B Pepple was caught with stained thumbs and he admitted to thumb printing.
Another person, Alafagha Oko-Jaja, had his head broken and was profusely bleeding. It was not certain he would survive as a result of the attack.
Opobo with barely 30,000 votes is the home town of the APC Governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, as well as the Chief of Army Staff, General Kenneth Minimah.
Meanwhile the army has been going around the community harassing people while Chiefs in Kalaibiama are compelling voters to vote for the PDP presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. They say it was an order from General Minimah.
Subject: Ogu/Bolo attacks, arrests
At about midnight, Mr Adokiye Iyaye reported that the PDP led by Evans Bipi, a House of Assembly candidate on PDP ticket, in company with Army and Police personnel took over INEC office in Ogu/Bolo. Supporters of APC in Ogu/Bolo were beaten up and arrested. Chief Jonah Tamuno, APC party leader in Ogu/Bolo, confirmed that the combined team of soldiers and police broke into his house and arrested Tamuno-Tonye Arimaka. Also beaten up and arrested at INEC office were APC Ogu/Bolo party agents including Christian Nyingiyikabo, Samuel Iyaye and Michael Oruwari.
Evans Bipi and the combined team of military and police have been moving from house to house terrorizing the community and beating up APC supporters. Many persons have fled the community. Some had to leave by sea in the wee hours of the morning.
Materials are being distributed without Card Readers or original Result Sheets in Obio/Akpor. Worse still, PDP thugs wearing police uniforms have been shooting indiscriminately in all the 17 Wards of Obio/Akpor to scare voters. In Opobo/Nkoro LGA, accreditation was done manually. PDP Agent was caught with fake Result Sheets.
No result sheets in Emohua, Ikwerre, Omuma, Etche, Akuku Toru, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika, Asari Toru, Ahoada East, Khana.
APC agent in Akuku Toru Ward 2, Unit 3 was abducted and remains in the hands of his kidnappers. Those kidnapped were Imaeinoye Tony and Oola Sampson. All materials were also hijacked.
Ahoada East: The entire INEC Results Sheets distributed in Ahoada East LGA were fake. Results were written in Mr. Havey Ideozu’ house on Friday night. Ideozu is a PDP stalwart. The SPO and NYSC ad hoc staffers were all present.
Oyigbo: Egberu Ward 3, Unit 3 Oygbo LGA. No Card Reader, no accreditation and no election until 12.34opm. Missing Result Sheets were suspected to be in the possession of Mr. Desmond Akawo, a Nigerian Ambassador.
Okrika: PVC cards that were not taken by owners have been collected by PDP members to use for voting. Thumb-printing going on now in Iboroma Keitchener’s house in Akuku Toru LGA Ward 17, Unit 11.
Opobo/Nkoro: Police Officers attached to Adonye Diri, PDP, House of Assembly candidate for Opobo/Nkoro State Constituency, have been shooting sporadically at Kalabiama, Opobo Nkoro Local Government Area
INEC officials have been placed under house arrest at the house of late Opusenibo Tumini Diri, at the instance of Adonye Diri, Dagogo Eli Legg-Jack, Dan Legg-Jack, Benjamin Diri and others.
Adonye Diri invited a group of cultists, AyeyE & Co., to take over the entire town.
Akuku Toru: Thumb-printing going in on Ibroma Keitchener’s house in Abonnema.
Ikwerre: At Elder Chidi Wihioka’s Unit 6 Ward 3 in Ikwerre local government, all electoral materials have been hijacked to an unknown place by PDP thugs. Other Units suffered similar fate.
Emohua: In Ward 10, no result sheets; no electoral materials except presidential result sheet that was fake. Hon. Chidi Lloyd complained to INEC officials who visited the Ward that comprises Omudiaga, Akpabu and Itu.
AKULGA: No election in Ward 5.
Obio Akpo, ward 7: no materials was made available in all units
Okrika: ward 3, unit 3. voters chased away after accreditation
Obio-Akpor ward 12-units 22-26: all materials are fake
Khana ward 18- No election, no original sheet, no accrediation
Ward 4 Gokhana- 145 accredited in the ward and all others chased away. Voting strength in that unit is 412.
Ward 7 unit 8 Akulga. All election papers hijacked.
Ward 1 unit 15 Abua- all materials destroyed in a fracas.
Choba ward 18&19 – No result sheets.
In Ogu/Bolo
Part of the result sheets and incidence forms of Rivers State are in the house of the Nigerian Ambassador to South Korea and the Garrison Commander 2 Brigade Lt. Col Ochankpa Baba. The rigging coordination is going on right now at 130 battalion location in abuloma. The commanding officer of the artillery unit in Eleme is the person that commandeered the election materials meant for Governor Amaechi’s constituency. Army gun boats are used as storage facilities.
Ward 12, unit 5 in Ogubolo
No free and fair election as police men disrupted the election, hand cuffing chief Israel Igbons, Steven Omugbo and Felix Okuru
Ibim Semenitari
Director communications
Greater together campaign organisation,
Rivers state
