The Rivers state governor-elect, Nyesome Wike, has received his Certificate of Return from the INEC supervisory national commissioner in charge of Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, Thelma Iremiren, expunging the APC’s hope of a re-run election in the state.
Wike boasted last week that he would still win by a landslide, even if the governorship election were to be conducted again by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega or by Ban-ki Moon, the United Nations Secretary General. He was handed his Certificate of Return at the INEC’s headquarters, Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
Certificate of Return: From left: INEC Supervisory National Commissioner in Charge of Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, Mrs Thelma Iremiren, presenting a Certificate of Return to Rivers State governor-elect, Chief Nyesom Wike, at the Independent National Electoral Commission headquaters, Aba Road, Port Harcourt (Photo Credit: Vanguard)
The governorship elections in Rivers was plagued with controversy as the All Progressives Congress (APC), alleged that the party did not lose the election in the state, but rather was robbed of victory. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged that a senatorial candidate of the APC in the state was offering Ogoni pastors and chiefs of huge sums of money as inducements to petition the state Election Tribunal that no elections had taken place in the area.
However, according to the governor-elect, the Rivers people were tired of the Amaechi-led APC government in the state, and came out en masse on April 11, using their votes to end the tyranny of the APC in Rivers state.
The police arrested 104 people at different locations in Port Harcourt for alleged electoral offences in the state.
Rotimi Amaechi had after the April 11 election said that the gubernatorial election in Rivers State was a sham and called for the cancellation of the entire exercise. However, Wike argued that although there were minor skirmishes, the election was free and fair.
The governor-elect in an earlier interview had asked Amaechi to emulate President Goodluck Jonathan who conceded defeat in the recent presidential election.
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