SpicyTricks

The Nigeria Police have opened investigation into an allegation of electoral fraud in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States Global Village Extra can report.

According to the report, the investigation became necessary following stunning revelations of massive rigging in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States. In a press release obtained by this medium, Nigeria's Inspector General Police Solomon Arase has ordered that the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Gesila Khan, and her Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Barr. Austin Eni Okojie, be investigated for electoral fraud.

Many international observers who monitored the Rivers State election call it a “farce and a sham”, and residents have cried out that the mandate was stolen and handed to the newly sworn in governor, Chief Nyesom Wike by Mrs. Kahn, who is said to be a buddy of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The mandate was stolen forcefully, and our supporters were slaughtered like animals,” John, an APC supporter told our correspondent in Port Harcourt.

Commenting on the news of the investigation, the Rivers State APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, through a press statement declared that “The news of the probe ordered by IGP Arase came to us as a big relief. We commend the IGP for this bold step. We have shouted ourselves hoarse since the March 28 and April 11 elections, calling for the investigation of the Rivers REC, a disreputable woman who is supposed to be in jail for the needless pains she has caused Rivers State people by brazenly manipulating the results of the last elections in the State to favour the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates. The juicy cars and the new lifestyle of this greedy woman must be investigated and the sources of her newfound wealth exposed,” Rivers APC said.

Many have called the political killings of APC supporters and chieftains in Rivers the worst in Nigeria's political history.

Wike, who contested and won the 11 April election amid controversial circumstances, got many talking about the gross abuse of power by the police whom were said to be allegedly following “orders from Abuja”.

The massive rigging of the election in Rivers became obvious following a document released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on the poll in the state.

According to the result declared by the Returning Officer (RO) for Rivers State, Osasere Orumwense, on 13 April, Wike was awarded 1,029,102 votes, representing 87.77 per cent of 1,228,614, being the conjured number of total accredited voters.

However, according to a 94-page INEC endorsed document, the total number of accredited voters for the 11 April guber election in Rivers state was 292, 878.

The document was signed by the acting director in charge of INEC Legal Unit, Ibrahim Bawa and the head of unit, Data Management, of the commission's Information Communication Territory Department, Abimbola Oladunjoye.

Reports say that it is practically impossible for Wike or any other candidates in the election to garner votes exceeding the total number of accredited voters, much less amassing such hyper-inflated figure of 1,029,102 awarded to Wike.

In Nigeria's current electoral system, INEC's central server automatically generates figures of voters accredited with the electronic Smart Card Readers and Permanent Voters' Cards across the polling units.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, prior to the election had explained that, card reader was to prevent electoral fraud, especially falsification of number of accredited voters to inflate number of votes cast, as in the case of PDP and Wike, and INEC in Rivers State.

Insiders in INEC have also confirmed that the number of accredited voters generated by the commission's central server is the authentic number for the Rivers state governorship elections, adding that it would be impossible for anyone to justify the excess votes allocated to Wike.

In the document, detailing polling unit by polling unit analysis of actual voters' accreditation for the election, none of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) had up to 51, 000 accredited voters.

Rivers State is currently delineated into 319 Registration Areas (Wards) and 4,442 polling units.

Port Harcourt LGA had the highest number of accredited voters with 50, 962, while Khana LGA had just 145 registered voters turning up for accreditation.

The LGA by LGA analysis of the accredited votes shows that Obio/Akpor had 40,481 accredited voters and it was the only LGA with more than 40,000 but lower than 50,000.

Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA had 24,816 accredited voters, while Ikwerre LGA had 22,274.

Meanwhile, seven LGAs had between 10,000 and 20,000 accredited voters, according to the INEC endorsed document.

They comprised Ahoada East (16,116 accredited voters); Ahoada West (16,369); Bonny (15,503); Degema (16,993); Akuku-Toru (12,439); Andoni (13,530); and Gokana (12,127).

Others are Asari-Toru (7,328); Emohua (5,014); Okrika (8,790); Opobo Nekoro (7,313); and Oyingbo (9,503); Abual-Odual (2,054); Omuma (1,998); Etche (1,268); Eleme (3,530); Khana (145); Ogu/Bolo (903); and Tai (3,362).

But, sources in the INEC office said the only logical explanation that can be rendered for the increased number of accredited voters exceeding 292,887, is if manual accreditation was used in addition to the use of card readers.

But, INEC did not approve the use of manual accreditation for governorship election in any of the states of the Federation.