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Nigeria: Opposition calls for fresh vote in Rivers

  1. Posted on Wednesday 27 April 2011 - 11:13
    Samuel
    Image of Samuel
    The incumbent Governor of Rivers State, southern Nigeria was on Wednesday declared winner of the guber poll held on the 26th of April in the oil rich state after garnering over 1.1millom votes out of the around 1.4milion ballots cast.

    Eligible voters had came out en mass to cast their ballot in the Governorship and State House of Assembly polls after been accredited as early as 8.am before the commencement of actual voting at around 12:30 pm.

    Speaking after casting his vote in Ubima [20mins drive from the state capital Porthacourt], Governor Amaechi of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party said he was not aware of any incident of violence. In his words: “As the Governor of Rivers State I have not heard of any report of violence...as the Chief security of the State I have been monitoring. I drove from Porthacourt to here and I did not see anybody on the road.”

    While voting was on, the Governorship Candidate, Celestine Omeiha of the All Grand Progressive Alliance in the southern Nigerian State of Rivers, called for the cancellation of the election in the State.

    Omeiha told a news conference that key members of his party were kidnapped ahead of voting while its agents were attacked and sent out from polling units during the voting on Tuesday, April 26.

    He called on the electoral commission to conduct a fresh election due to cases of electoral malpractices and violence.

    “We have no choice than to disassociate ourselves from this election and to call for outright cancellation of the election today and call for a specific date to be fixed by Professor Jega for election in Rivers State to be held. As far as we are concerned election has not been held in Rivers State for either governorship or state house of assembly.”

    In his reaction, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State Aniedi Ikwoiwak, dismissed allegations of wide spread violence during voting in the State.

    Ikwoiwak said had received text messages reporting violence, but such reports could not be verified during visits by INEC observers.
    Nigeria: Opposition calls for fresh vote in Rivers

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