Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded plans to print illegal gubernatorial ballot papers for Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom States that will exclude certain newly registered political parties as a premise for the nullification of the elections of the three states.
The governor stated that credible intelligence available to the Rivers State government indicate that the indiscriminate registration of new political parties by INEC is for this purpose.
Wike spoke on Friday at Government House, Port Harcourt, when he received a letter of nomination as “Independent Newspapers’ Political Icon of the Year 2017”,
He said, “All the mass registration of new political parties is a deliberate plan by INEC to manipulate elections in three states.
“Rivers State, Akwa Ibom and Delta States have been earmarked for the printing of ballot papers where some newly registered political parties will be excluded as a ground for the nullification of the elections by the tribunal.
“After the nullification by the tribunal as planned, EFCC will be used by the APC Federal Government to arrest the three governors, so that they will not be around during the repeat elections.”
Wike stated that the second strategy of the APC-led Federal Government is to use security agencies to unleash vicious violence on the day of the governorship elections in the three states to facilitate cancellation by INEC.
The governor noted that the entire struggle to hold the Presidential election ahead of other elections is one of the schemes at rigging the polls.
He said the APC-led Federal Government has performed woefully, hence they have nothing on ground to campaign with, except to use INEC and security agencies to rig.
Wike said, “APC is not a political party in the true sense of the word. It is a congregation of people who did not want former President Goodluck Jonathan to continue in office for personal reasons.
“The fight against Jonathan was not in the interest of Nigeria. They have realised their mistakes, but they lack the courage to apologise because of their ego. If you move around, you will see that things are bad.”
The governor urged journalists to take up the responsibility of explaining to Nigerians the need to elect a credible Federal Government in 2019.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Independent Newspaper, Mr Ade Adigun, said that the newspaper nominated the governor as the Political Icon of the Year 2017 because of his commitment to the development of true democracy.
Adigun commended him for his contributions to the revival of PDP as a viable opposition in the country.
