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.”
PREMIUM TIMES had, Saturday, published details of the electoral fraud in Rivers State, which showed the inflated figure of 1,029,102 of votes awarded to the declared winner, Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Rivers State.
The number of votes awarded Mr. Wike by Rivers INEC and announced by the returning officer for the state, Osasere Orumwense, was almost five times higher than the total number of voters accredited with card readers and Permanent Voter Cards which was 292,878.
INEC had stated before and after that only electronic accreditation was employed for the April 11 elections in all the states, including Rivers and Akwa Ibom.
In its petition, CSNAC stated that “We are by this petition demanding the immediate arrest and investigation of Akwa Ibom REC, Barrister Austin Okojie and his Rivers State counterpart, Dame Gesila Khan for fraudulent manipulation of the results of the governorship election in both states.”
It added that upon completion of the investigation, the police chief is “required to forward the case file to the INEC with a view to having them prosecuted pursuant to section 150 of the Electoral Act.”
“Take notice that if our request is not acceded to within 14 days of the receipt of this letter, our network will be compelled to approach a competent court of jurisdiction for the purpose of compelling you to discharge your statutory duty in the circumstance,” the group said in the petition signed by its chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju.
Reacting to the development, Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, said the questions arising from the cases of irregularities in the two states should be for an election petition tribunal.
Also speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, the director of Voters’ Education and Publicity of the electoral management body, Osaze Ozzi, said INEC would be cautious of its reaction since the elections in question are being challenged at the tribunal.
Upon further probe, he said the question of what punishment would be meted to the INEC officials, particularly RECs in the two states, does not arise, since INEC has not “established facts of the matter.”