'RIVERS STATE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION WAS A MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY'- INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,
has described the Rivers State governorship election
held on April 11, 2015 as a shame and mockery of
democracy.
The electoral umpire made this known to Election
Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja on Friday.
INEC, which oversees governorship and state houses of
assembly elections through its Resident Electoral
Commissioners in various states, labeled the poll held
in Rivers State on April 11 as a “kangaroo” exercise.
It claimed the exercise was marred with shootings and
allocation of figures as well as “all kinds of impunity”
taking place on the day of the poll.
An INEC staff, Charles Okoye, who heads the Election
and Party Monitoring Department of the commission in
Rivers State, appeared before the Justice Mohammed
Ambrosa-led tribunal on Friday on subpoena, testifying
that the election was conducted in an atmosphere of
warfare and “militant terrorism.”
The witness, who said he monitored the April 11
election alongside three national commissioners of
INEC, with his monitoring teams in 19 out of the 23
local government areas of the state, also told the
tribunal that the poll was marred by large scale
violence and disruption of polls.
He said, “During the monitoring exercise, what we
observed was that the election was a warfare. It was a
militant terrorism and also a sham, a kangaro election.
It is a mockery of democracy. The election was
characterised by large scale violence and disruption of
polls.
“There was snatching of election materials, shooting
and allocation of figures and all kinds of impunity
happened at the election.”
Vanguard reports that Okoye, who was led in evidence
by the petitioners’ lawyer, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN),
said apart from sending various teams to 19 local
government areas of the state, he, along with three
national commissioners of the commission, visited
eight LGA’s on the day of the election.
The report of the monitoring exercise, which Okoye said
was co-signed by him and the three other national
commissioners, was tendered and admitted by the
tribunal as Exhibit A2.
The counsel for the respondents comprising INEC, Wike
and PDP, said they would object to the report at the
stage of final addresses because it was not front-
loaded with the petition.
Okoye debunked allegation by INEC’s lawyer, Dr.
Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), during cross-examination that
the report of the monitoring exercise was his private
document.
“If it is my private document, it will not be certified by
INEC. The report was passed to the national
headquaters,” Okoye further said.