BY Ayodele Oluwafemi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers has criticised five governorship candidates who raised the alarm over an alleged plan to rig Saturday’s elections in the state.
On Wednesday, five governorship candidates in Rivers alleged that the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are planning to rig elections in the state.
The candidates are Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sobomabo Jackreece of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) and Tonte Ibraye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumo Lulu-Briggs of the Accord Party and Dawari George of Action Alliance (AA).
Reacting to the development, Ogbonna Nwuke, Rivers PDP spokesperson, said the political parties are “like farmers who failed to take advantage of the early rains to plant their crops”.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Nwuke said the political parties are engaging in media propaganda because they failed to sell their programmes to the people.
“We have heard about the plot of some political parties, including the APC, Labour and the SDP to bomb INEC offices at the grassroots,” the statement reads.
“These political parties that are accusing INEC and everybody, including security officials involved in the electoral process of conniving with the PDP to rig Saturday’s elections in the state are like farmers who failed to take advantage of the early rains to plant their crops.
“Simply put, these parties failed woefully to campaign effectively for their candidates while the PDP went round the state to sell its agenda to the people.
“Rather than campaigning among the people, they made this year’s election a media event. Now that they know the people are prepared to vote for the PDP, they are crying wolf.
“INEC is not a political party. This point must be stressed. Elections are won in the field where voters cast their votes, not at collation centres.
“The same political parties which are blowing hot air are the same ones who are planning to attack and kill defenceless electoral officers all in an attempt to disrupt the elections and the collation of results.
“Council premises that INEC is planning to use are public facilities. They belong to the third tier of government and not the Rivers State Government which is the second tier of government.
“These facilities will be protected by security officials controlled by the Federal Government which is the first tier of government.
“On the day of elections, serving local government Council chairmen will not be found in their offices. INEC will take absolute control of such office complexes. The arguments raised by these parties do not arise.”
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