Sekibo Wins Rerun Election

Senator George Thompson Sekibo of Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, has been declared the winner of the rerun election of Rivers East Senatorial District of Rivers State, Southsouth Nigeria.

The election was conducted yesterday, just as the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has kicked against the outcome of the election.

Senator Sekibo of PDP polled PDP 472,224 votes as against the closest rival ACN which got 18,109 votes.

The Result of Rivers East Senatorial District rerun as announced Firday, 6 January by Dr. Otu Ekpenyong, the Returning Officer, are as follows:

ACN=18,109, APGA=138, APS=1,249, CPC=413, LP=179, NSDP=134, PAC=431, PDP=472,224, PPN=213, UNPP=141, AA=14371, HDP=224

The Appeal Court had annulled the result of the election due to a petition by one of the political parties that the party was excluded from the election.

In a swift reaction, ACN, Rivers State chapter has rejected the result.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in a statement signed by the publicity secretary, Jerry Needam, claimed that the election was massively rigged in Obio/Akpor, Ogu/Bolo, Port Harcourt and Emuoha local government areas by agents of the PDP and INEC with the support of the police in favour of PDP.

The party alleged that members of the ACN and other opposition parties were harassed, intimidated and arrested by the police only to be released after the election was over.

“We hereby reject the result announced by the INEC today. The result did not represent the will of the people in the Rivers East Senatorial district, who were willing to make a change following the disgraceful performance of the PDP candidate in the Senate over the years.

“We will challenge the result of the Rivers East Senatorial Re-run Election announced today by INEC in the Election Petition Tribunal.”

The party calls for the immediate transfer of Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner from Rivers State, alleging that “he is a card carrying member of the PDP. He enjoys the goodwill of the PDP. He is working for the PDP in Rivers State”.

The party regrets that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State is still living in the past where results were negotiated, paid for and written in government house even before elections were conducted.

ACN called on the INEC Chairman to redeem the name of the electoral body by immediately redeploying the resident electoral commissioner from Rivers State.

ACN appealed to Rivers people to remain law abiding and peaceful even in the face of provocation by the forces of the PDP candidate and PDP.

By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt