Rivers Governorship Election: What INEC Told Wike, Other Candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s electoral umpire, has urged all stakeholders to ensure a peaceful completion of the Rivers state governorship election.

Africa News 24 (AN24) reports that the National Commissioner in charge of Rivers, Bayelsa, and Edo, May Agbamuche, made the call at a meeting on Saturday in the capital of Rivers, Port Harcourt, ahead of the resumption of the poll in the oil-rich state.

In attendance were Governor Nyesom Wike, who is the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Awara Biokpomabo, among others.

“The main objective of this meeting is to brief you on the schedule of activities and timelines set by the commission for the conclusion of Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, and to solicit for your maximum cooperation towards the success of this exercise,” Agbamuche said.

“It is also to generate discussions among the stakeholders with a view to achieving transparent, peaceful, and violence-free conclusion of the elections within the timeline set by the commission.”

She also said, “It is my strong belief that at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting, the subsequent electoral activities as outlined in the timeline issued by the commission for the conclusion of the suspended elections in the state would be carried out as stipulated.”

INEC had on Wednesday, March 27, said the resumption of collation and announcement of results of the March 9 Rivers governorship poll would hold between April 2 and 5.

The commission had on 10 March suspended electoral processes in the oil-rich state as a result of violence that marred the March 9 governorship poll.

AN24 recalls that many officials of INEC were held hostage while electoral materials were reportedly seized.