The Civil Society Network Against Corruption has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, demanding the arrest and investigation of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Gesila Khan, and that of Akwa Ibom State, Austin Okoji.
The demand by the civic group follows exposure of irregularities in the April 11 governorship and House of Assembly elections in the two South-South states.
Challenging the credibility of elections in the states, CSNAC stated that there were irregularities in the numbers of total votes cast and votes polled in each of the states by the winners and the numbers of authentic accredited voters generated by INEC central server in Abuja.
The group’s petition was titled ‘Demand For Urgent Investigation Of Fraudulent Manipulation Of Election Results In Akwa Ibom And Rivers States Governorship Elections Of April 11, 2015 By Two Resident Electoral Commissioners.’
“In brazen contravention of several provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Barrister Austin Okojie, falsely declared that 1,158,624 people voted in the Governorship and House of Assembly Elections in Akwa Ibom State, leaving a difference of 721,496 in excess of the actual card readers figures of accredited voters,” the group said in its petition.
“In a similar vein, the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dame Gesila Khan, declared 1,228,614 total votes, contrary to the figure of 292,878 accredited voters recorded in the INEC central server in Abuja. This is in excess of 935,736 votes.
“Local and international observers who physically observed elections in both States had, immediately after the elections, called for the cancellation of elections in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States. The conduct and outcomes of the elections were declared to be flawed, below standard and inconsistent with provisions of the electoral Act, 2010.
“An online newspaper, Premiumtimesng, in its publication of Saturday, April 9, 2015 titled; River’s Nyesom Wike a goner; INEC document exposes fraud by PDP, INEC in guber poll, confirmed allegations contained in the petition forwarded to our a network and findings of our independent investigations.”
Read More: premiumtimesng
