Author: The Nation

The Rivers State Government has called on members of the public to disregard doctored, false audio and visual materials circulating on the internet to tarnish the image of Governor Nyesom Wike.

A statement by Commissioner of Information and Communications, Chris Finebone, said certain individuals had launched a campaign of calumny against the Governor using doctored video and audio clips

Finebone said: “Of particular mention is a doctored audio clip that was concocted by Saharareporters during the 2016 re-run election in Rivers State in which they purported same to be a discussion between the governor and Hon. Dum Dekor.

“That audio concoction was duly discredited and discarded as a piece of rubbish masterminded by evil people to tarnish the image of Wike. But in a hurry to throw dirt at the governor this time, some people decided to exhume and use same old discredited clip to justify their evil machination of sullying the image of the governor.

“Let it be clearly stated that after Wike and his wife managed to cast their vote last Saturday, they quietly returned to their home and never stepped out for the rest of the day.

“It was, therefore, surprising that the same individuals who, for reasons best known to them, decided to lie against the governor, have gone ahead to raise false accusations suggesting that Gov. Wike moved about with soldiers intimidating people and influencing voting and collation of votes. This is, indeed, a lie taken from the very abyss of hell.

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“For the avoidance of doubt, Gov. Wike does not have a single soldier in his formal and informal entourage at any time, more so, during election time.

“The governor did not for whatever reason visit or move around after casting his vote. The accusation of him moving around to intimidate or cause any disruption of any kind derives only from the wicked imagination of evil doers but they have failed.

“Therefore, the general public is urged to disregard the concocted video and audio clips, voice notes and other forms of multimedia contraptions to tarnish the image of Gov. Nyesom Wike”.

END.

Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy National Chairman Chief Olabode George has called for the electronic transmission of results without delay.

He said the regress to manual collation at this technological age is curious, describing the electoral agency as a disappointment.

George, who spoke with reporters in Lagos, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on the elections, saying that he has modernised the process.

But, objecting to INEC ‘s performance, he said: “It is disheartening to learn that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed the position that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), meant for the seamless transmission of election results electronically into the commission’s server is failing, and thus, necessitating the reversal to the manual system.

“This is against the standard for the election and it is not acceptable at all, as we are being taken back to the period of misery, when elections results were manipulated between the polling units and the collation centres.”

He added: “It is the most despicable shameful act, after the certification of the veracity of the BVAS, for the transmission process of results, which was attested to, by the mock process successfully embarked on by INEC before the election, coupled by the successful deployment of the system for the Ekiti, Anambra and Osun governorship elections.”

George said INEC’S position is also dealing a severe blow to the effort of developed countries like the United States (US), who made huge financial and material commitment to the electoral process.

He queried: “How can we accept this uncivilised abuse against an established electoral reform already gazetted and entrenched as Electoral Act in our constitution?”

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George called on the international community, who have their observers on ground, to condemn the self-destructive and annihilating political malfeasance.

He added: “The transmission of the ongoing collation for the Presidential and National Assembly election results must be transmitted electronically as enunciated by INEC.

“INEC, should not succumb to any pressure, to force to alternate the results from the polling units, as history would judge the Chairman of the electoral body, who swore to oath to ensure free, fair and credible electoral process.

“In the event of being pressured to alternate results of the election, the INEC Chairman should raise his voice for Nigerians to hear or step down from his position.”