Placard- carrying supporters of the Action Congress (AC) numbering more than 600 yesterday stormed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) headquarters in Port Harcourt, demanding the cancellation of last Saturday�s election.
The protesters chanted war songs and called RSIEC officials names.
Some of the inscriptions on their placards read : “ASALGA supervisors and presiding officers are Peoples Democratice Party (PDP) members”, “Tai traditional ruler held entire election in his house”, “There was no election in Asari Toru”, No election in Ward 20 PHALGA”and RSIEC obey court orders.”
Others are “no election in Ward 12 of Degema”, “no election in ward 16 of Etche”, “ASALGA results written in hotel room” and “Nimi Briggs rise to the challenge, this election is a complete fraud.”
An AC chieftain, Soton Neeba said: “In Tai Local Government, there was no election because a PDP stalwart effectively blocked everyone from doing election from wards 1 to 10.”
Neeba also said the video tape of the event and “all that transpired have been handed over to RSIEC and we are hoping that the election in this council will be cancelled because what happened was disgraceful.”
Another supporter of the party from Abonema also said: “The rigging was so pronounced that the chairman of the electoral commission allegedly stumbled into some people who were thumb-printing and the man shook his head in horror and moved away.”
The AC, in a statement said: “We are sad to alert the public that efforts are currently in top gear to revert all the 13 Local Government Councils won by AC in the just-concluded Local Government Council election in Rivers State to PDP.”
The statement, issued by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the Publicity Secretary of the party, also alleged “we are told that PDP bigwigs have stormed RSIEC officials residential houses immediately it became very clear to them that they have lost woefully to AC in the March 29, local government polls.
“We have accepted the people�s verdict that gave us victory in the 13 Local Government Councils of – Ahoada East, Ahaoada West, Akuku-Toru, Onyibo, Degama, Etche, Omumu, Onlega, Andoni, Khana, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ogu/Bolo and Port Harcourt City.”
Apr12008