#NigeriaElection2023: INEC suspends two NASS elections in Port Harcourt LG over irregularities
..As State Filing Officer Alleges Death Threat
The Independent National Electoral Commission has suspended elections held in two National Assembly seats in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State due to irregularities
The results concerned are the PHALGA 2 House of Representatives and PHALGA Senate elections held last Saturday.
The state's INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Johnson Sinikiem, announced the suspension of results at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
This came less than 24 hours after some political party members stormed the INEC headquarters, the presidential election collation venue in Port Harcourt and accused the officer of PHALGA collation to manipulate the results.
After entering the premises of INEC, the protesters went to the collation room where the results were presented, accusing the collation officer of PHALGA, Professor Victoria Olumide, of having fled with the results of the National Assembly elections in the region. .
The INEC statement reads: "I wish to inform the public that Rivers State INEC has suspended elections for the PHALGA 11 House of Representatives and Port Local Government Area Senate Harcourt for alleged irregularities.
"The Commission will carry out a full investigation before further action is taken."
Meanwhile, the State Collation Officer for the Presidential Election and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Otueke, Bayelsa State, Professor Charles Adias, had rung the bell. alarm about the threat to his life and that of his family by members of certain party political parties.
Adias addressing stakeholders on the third day of collection of results at the INEC office where only two LGAs, Degema and Obio/Akpor remained, expressed concern that he could no longer proceed with the procedure without the assurance of its safety by INEC and the security agencies.
Adias said his picture was all over social media, saying those behind the threats, especially Labor supporters, accused him of coming to Rivers to rig the election .
Professor Adias, who had already received the aggregated results of 21 AGLs, said that in the past two days he had received threatening messages and phone calls amounting to over a million 'calls from strangers making various threats.
While noting that he had nothing to do with the election and the calculation, Professor Adias said his mission was simply to receive the collated results from designated officials and wondered why those whom he described as "interested people" were after his life.< /p>
He said: "Let me draw the attention of stakeholders and everyone here to the fact that I have received text messages and phone calls from members of the public calling me to order and threatening my life and that of my family members.
"For the avoidance of doubt, my role is limited to merely receiving reports. I am not aware of any facts or figures emanating from the conduct of an election.
"I am not involved in the voting, counting and revalidation. My life is in danger because I chose to serve my country."
Continuing, Adias said, "I request all necessary safeguards. I wish to adjourn the further collation of this report. I am not the returning officer.
"We are only sitting here to receive reports. For every hour, I receive more than a million calls. I hereby waive the snack."
But the Rivers State Election Commissioner of Police, Adeoye Aderemi, assured him of his safety and adequate protection and pleaded with him to continue with the mission so that it does not does not affect the national ranking.
Meanwhile, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr Johnson Sinikiem condemned the death threat against Prof Adias.
He said, "I want to urge the public and our key stakeholders to know that the function of a state collator is simply to collate the results of elections held in the various local government areas. of the State.
"He is not a supervising presiding officer or a presiding officer who organizes elections at polling stations.
"It only collects the results already collected at the local government area level which can only be changed by the verdict of an electoral tribunal.
"I urge those concerned, to seize immediately by unleashing threats because his work does not involve the accreditation, the vote, the counting, the calculation, the validation etc. of the votes by the parties at the primary and secondary levels.
“I want to draw the attention of security agencies, particularly the Rivers State Police Elections Commissioner, who is also co-chair of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Election Security, to this attempt to truncate compiling the results of the presidential election in Rivers State."
..As State Filing Officer Alleges Death Threat
The Independent National Electoral Commission has suspended elections held in two National Assembly seats in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State due to irregularities
The results concerned are the PHALGA 2 House of Representatives and PHALGA Senate elections held last Saturday.
The state's INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Johnson Sinikiem, announced the suspension of results at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
This came less than 24 hours after some political party members stormed the INEC headquarters, the presidential election collation venue in Port Harcourt and accused the officer of PHALGA collation to manipulate the results.
After entering the premises of INEC, the protesters went to the collation room where the results were presented, accusing the collation officer of PHALGA, Professor Victoria Olumide, of having fled with the results of the National Assembly elections in the region. .
The INEC statement reads: "I wish to inform the public that Rivers State INEC has suspended elections for the PHALGA 11 House of Representatives and Port Local Government Area Senate Harcourt for alleged irregularities.
"The Commission will carry out a full investigation before further action is taken."
Meanwhile, the State Collation Officer for the Presidential Election and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Otueke, Bayelsa State, Professor Charles Adias, had rung the bell. alarm about the threat to his life and that of his family by members of certain party political parties.
Adias addressing stakeholders on the third day of collection of results at the INEC office where only two LGAs, Degema and Obio/Akpor remained, expressed concern that he could no longer proceed with the procedure without the assurance of its safety by INEC and the security agencies.
Adias said his picture was all over social media, saying those behind the threats, especially Labor supporters, accused him of coming to Rivers to rig the election .
Professor Adias, who had already received the aggregated results of 21 AGLs, said that in the past two days he had received threatening messages and phone calls amounting to over a million 'calls from strangers making various threats.
While noting that he had nothing to do with the election and the calculation, Professor Adias said his mission was simply to receive the collated results from designated officials and wondered why those whom he described as "interested people" were after his life.< /p>
He said: "Let me draw the attention of stakeholders and everyone here to the fact that I have received text messages and phone calls from members of the public calling me to order and threatening my life and that of my family members.
"For the avoidance of doubt, my role is limited to merely receiving reports. I am not aware of any facts or figures emanating from the conduct of an election.
"I am not involved in the voting, counting and revalidation. My life is in danger because I chose to serve my country."
Continuing, Adias said, "I request all necessary safeguards. I wish to adjourn the further collation of this report. I am not the returning officer.
"We are only sitting here to receive reports. For every hour, I receive more than a million calls. I hereby waive the snack."
But the Rivers State Election Commissioner of Police, Adeoye Aderemi, assured him of his safety and adequate protection and pleaded with him to continue with the mission so that it does not does not affect the national ranking.
Meanwhile, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr Johnson Sinikiem condemned the death threat against Prof Adias.
He said, "I want to urge the public and our key stakeholders to know that the function of a state collator is simply to collate the results of elections held in the various local government areas. of the State.
"He is not a supervising presiding officer or a presiding officer who organizes elections at polling stations.
"It only collects the results already collected at the local government area level which can only be changed by the verdict of an electoral tribunal.
"I urge those concerned, to seize immediately by unleashing threats because his work does not involve the accreditation, the vote, the counting, the calculation, the validation etc. of the votes by the parties at the primary and secondary levels.
“I want to draw the attention of security agencies, particularly the Rivers State Police Elections Commissioner, who is also co-chair of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Election Security, to this attempt to truncate compiling the results of the presidential election in Rivers State."
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