Rivers rerun: PDP wins two senatorial seats, APC kicks

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won two of the three senatorial seats in Rivers State in last Saturday and Sunday’s legislative elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday declared Senator George Sekibo as the winner of Rivers East Senatorial District. Sekibo of the PDP defeated the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Andrew Uchendu.

The returning officer for Rivers East, Prof. Orji Orni Ekumakani, stated that Sekibo, a two-term senator, scored 93,098 votes, while Uchendu, a former member of the House of Representatives, polled 34,193 votes. Rivers East senatorial district is the political base of Transport Minister, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, which he lost to the PDP.

Also in Rivers West Senatorial District, the PDP candidate, Osinachukwu Ideozu, was declared winner by INEC. Ideozu defeated the APC candidate, Otelemabama Amachree, the former speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. According to the result declared by INEC, Ideozu scored 107,166 votes to defeat Amachree who scored 48,898 votes.

Ideozu was a member of the State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003, and later represented Abua-Odual/Ahoada East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007.

The announcement of results of Rivers East and Rivers West senatorial districts was delayed at the collation centres. Before the release of the result, Governor Nyesom Wike and more than 2,000 PDP supporters stormed the collation centre of Rivers East Senatorial District in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area to demand the release of the area’s election.

Wike and the supporters made their way into the council, demanding for the release of the election despite the shooting into the air by security operatives to scare them away.

The party members said they were ready to die for the right cause, alleging that security operatives were plotting to change the original result, which had declared Senator Sekibo of the PDP for Uchendu of the APC.

As they defied the security operatives, some of them shouted, “Kill us for our rights and deny us our votes”, “We won’t allow INEC and security operatives to deny us our mandate”, “We are ready to die, nobody can change our result.”

While some of them gained access into the council secretariat, others were scattered along Moscow Road area that leads to the state Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat.

Senator Magnus Abe of the APC was, on Sunday, declared the winner of Rivers South-East Senatorial District. Speaking on his victory, Sekibo said he would not have been declared winner without the resolve of Governor Nyesom Wike and the people of the senatorial district to ensure that the votes counted.

He said: “Governor Wike and the good people of Rivers State came out to support democracy. If not, the hell raiders would have denied the people their mandate.” But the state’s APC governorship candidate in 2015 election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, rejected the declaration of Sekibo as the winner, alleging that Wike forced the Returning Officer to announce the result despite the fact that more results were being awaited.

Peterside, Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), told a news conference in Port Harcourt that the collation of the district’s election results was marred with irregularities.

He said that information available to the party showed that results of some local government areas in the district had not been collated. Peterside also alleged that due process was not followed in announcing the results.

“You are aware that elections were inconclusive in Etche Local Government Area; the results for Emohua Local Government Area have not been collated, the results for Port Harcourt City Local Government Area were partially collated.

“The APC agent was beaten at the collation centre in Port Harcourt. Without him being present, the result was announced in favour of the PDP candidate. “Whatever result is declared for Rivers East will be ridiculing democracy; APC will not accept any of that,” he said.

Peterside said the APC would use constitutional means to resist the alleged irregularities. Meanwhile, the PDP has accused the Nigerian Army and the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of unleashing terror on the people of the state during the December 10 legislative rerun polls.

The state chairman of the party, Bro. Felix Obuah, in a statement, accused the police, army and other security operatives of colluding with INEC in favouring the APC.

He said that during the election, military might was brazenly deployed to overrun hapless and defenseless people in order to favour the candidates of the APC.

He said that in Rivers South East senatorial district where Abe was declared the winner, there was no election due to the activities of security operatives.

Obuah challenged the APC, INEC, Army, Police or other security agencies to show proof that there was election in the zone. He alleged that some chieftains of the APC in Ogoni colluded with the military to hijack the process.

Governor Wike has said that the intimidation and killings carried out by security operatives during the legislative rerun polls will not happen again. He said that the people of the state would be better prepared in 2019 to prevent attack on the people by the security operatives.

Speaking when he led thousands of Rivers people on a victory march across the streets of Port Harcourt, which terminated at the Government House, the governor said that those killed died while defending the collective interest of the state, because they refused to be conquered by the invaders. Wike commended Rivers people for standing up in defence of democracy and the interest of Rivers State.

He said: “What has happened today will not happen in 2019. Now they have told us, they will see that we will also be prepared. This will not happen again. “I have told the security agencies, you come and collect security money from me and use it against Rivers people. Enough is enough. They will now be depending on NDDC for their funding.

Let me see where it will take them to. “Rivers people must work as brothers and sisters and defend our interests. We don’t have Police, we don’t have army, but we have God. And so, we must put our house in order and be our own police, be our own Army. “We have no confidence in the Army, police and DSS. They have shown that there is no democracy in Nigeria.”

The governor added that politicians like Amaechi are not on ground and will never win elections in Rivers State. He noted that those who attempted to re-colonise Rivers State by donating monies from their state governments have been shamed by the vigilance of the people.

He said: “Wherever they are, shame unto them. Whether they are in Abuja, Plateau, Bauchi, Benue or Kano, shame unto them. Shame to the Governors of Plateau, Bauchi and Benue. They should bury their heads in shame.”