Don't Interfere in Rivers Electoral Process, IPAC Urges Buhari

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Rivers State has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to shun negative advice and maintain his stance of not interfering in the collation of the results of the suspended March 9, 2019 Governorship election in the State.

Chairman of IPAC in the state, Precious Baridoo, while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, berated some elder statesmen in the state for calling on Buhari to interfere in the collation process, saying that the elders were sponsored by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi.

Baridoo said: “The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Rivers State is shocked and embarrassed by calls by some compromised pro-APC Elders convened by the desperate Minister of Transportation,  Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for President  Muhammadu Buhari to interfere in the Rivers State Governorship Election Collation Process with a view to subverting the will of Rivers people. 

“We have Information that these Pro-APC Elders have written to the President, demanding that the President should intervene in the Rivers State Governorship Election Collation Process, halt same and create the atmosphere to disable INEC from concluding the elections in the State.”

Describing the letter as “devilish, wicked and an affront to the good people of Rivers State who overwhelmingly voted for the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of the PDP on March 9, 2019”, Baridoo said it was unfortunate that the elders would allow themselves to be used by Amaechi who is bent on imposing his stooge on the state as governor.

“As elders and stakeholders, we expected these Pro-APC elements to drop their political affiliations and face the reality of the time. We expected them to embrace the choice of Rivers people, rather than dance to the satanic tunes of the Minister of Transportation.

“These Pro-APC Elders sponsored by the Minister of Transportation cannot claim ignorance of the negative roles played by the Nigerian Army as they attempted to subvert the will of Rivers people during the Governorship and State Assembly elections.”

IPAC noted that INEC’s fact-finding committee had acknowledged that elections took place in majority of the polling units of the State and that collation of results and declarations has already been made in majority of the State Constituencies and the PDP won in all these areas.

“This was in spite of the failed attempt of the AAC/APC alliance to use the army and F-SARS to subvert the will of Rivers people. It was a horrible and disgraceful sight to see Nigerian Army personnel captured on video at different Local Government Collation Centres, including Ogo/Bolo, Okrika, Port Harcourt, Khana, Eleme and Akuku-Toru marauding and attempting to snatch collated results.  The most despicable of which, was the invasion of the State Governorship Collation Centre by the Army on March 10, 2019, which was broadcast on National Television to the entire world,” he stated.

He expressed regret that instead of condemning the unnecessary militarisation in a democracy and the manifest use of violence by the army in the State during the elections, the Pro-APC Elders chose to exhibit selective amnesia.

"We urge the President to stick to his words and ignore these elders who have become paid agents of the desperate Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

"How on earth would former Rivers State Governor, Rufus Ada-George, Ambassador CD Orike, Alabo Graham-Douglas, Professor DMJ Fubara and Retired Group Captain Ben-Kalio place partisan and monetary considerations above the interest of Rivers State?

"At these stage of their lives, they should be courageous enough to reject the negative schemes of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.