Please, Don’t Interfere, Wike Warns Security Agencies On Rerun

Governor Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers State on Saturday called on Security Agencies not to interfere during the resumption of the electoral process in the state.

Wike made the call during the stakeholders meeting organized by the Independent National  Electoral Commission (INEC)to bring the stakeholders on the activities and timeline set by the commission for conclusion of the electoral process in Port Harcourt.

He said that the only way the state would have a peaceful election was to ensure that the security agencies would not interfere in the electoral process.

Wike said that violence in the state during the process could only come when the people try to risist the security agents from collecting the results from the collation centers which makes them shoot at those resisting the action.

“There was no violence at the polling units, until the security agents interfered at the collation centers.

” Rivers state is not a violent state, I don’t know why people will continue to stage violence in the state during election to stop peace, but when they want to drain oil from the state, the state will no longer be a violent state.

“People should ask question who is causing this violence in the state during this election.

“I have never experience the high level of the military interference during this election in the past 30 years that I have been in politics,” Wike said.

In his speech, Mr Victor Fingesi, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) asked INEC for the custodian and safety of the said 17 local government results that was collected by the commission.

Mr Biokpomabo Awara, the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) also asked INEC on how safe the results of the said 17 LGAs were in their costudy.

In his response, Mr Etim Umoh, the INEC Administrative Secretary, assured the candidates and the public of the safety of the collected results which was in the commissions strong room.

Umoh mentioned the 17 LGA,S where results were collected and six LGA,s where the elections were not concluded.

The six LGA,s mentioned were Abuah Uduah, Gokanah, Ahoada West, Asari- Toru Degema and Kanah LGA,s where there would be rerun on the April 13.

INEC also presented the supplementary regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections to the stakeholders which was deliberated upon and questions from the stakeholders were answered by INEC during the meeting.NAN