TRIBUNAL: Wike’s election peaceful, credible —INEC

 

 

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has told Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that the election of Governor, Nyesom Wike, was peaceful, credible and conducted in line with the Electoral Act.
Presenting its   case before the   Justice Suleiman Ambrosa-led tribunal sitting in Abuja, INEC claimed that relevant electoral procedures were followed before the Commission arrived at the lawful declaration of Governor Wike as the winner of the election in view of the valid votes garnered by him on April 11, 2015.
At the resumed sitting on Monday, INEC presented seven witnesses who are presiding officers in polling units spread across four local government areas. The witnesses conducted elections in Bonny LGA, Tai LGA,   Oyigbo   LGA and Akuku   Toru   LGA. They were serving Youth Corps members at the time the election was conducted.
The defence witnesses   were led in evidence by the counsel   to   INEC, Onyechi Ikpeazu(SAN ).
In her testimony, Ogechi Anyanwu, a corps member who served as Presiding Officer   Ward   8 Unit 8 of Tai Local Government Area said that elections were free and fair, claiming that nobody snatched election materials   as alleged by Rivers State All Progressives Congress,  APC.
The Youth Corps member claimed that there was no case of violence during the governorship election adding that as presiding officer she never participated in electoral fraud.
Another     witness, Jerry   Nyikwagh,   who served   as Presiding   Officer   for Ward 7, Unit 4 in Tai LGA, explained that   he reverted to manual accreditation   after the failure of   the   card readers,   but first got permission   from his supervisor.

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