The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said it has “observed with dismay the jumping in and out of the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja” by Senator Magnus Abe, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the forthcoming rescheduled re-run National Assembly election in the state.

A statement from the office of the state chairman of the PDP, Bro Felix Obuah, demanded to know whether he (Abe) has relocated his campaign office to the INEC office, noting that his frequent visits to the electoral house is not only disturbing but also very suspicious.

According to Bro. Obuah, it’s surprising and shameful that Mr. Abe can hardly comport himself and allow the electoral officers to do their job expeditiously, adding that if he (Abe) is not accusing the electoral officers of taking sides, he is alleging one fraud or another just to play the spoiler, knowing full well that he cannot win any election in the entire Rivers South East.

On the part of PDP, the state Chairman said all that matters to the party is for the electoral body to do the right thing and ensure a smooth conduct of the re-run elections in which he believes the PDP will emerge victorious as usual.

“Notwithstanding, we are keeping tap on every move by desperadoes and will never allow nor accept any act not in consonance with the principle of one man, one vote, to determine the final and overall outcome of the re-run elections across the State,” Bro. Obuah warned. However, in a swift reaction, the Senator Abe Media Campaign Organization said today that it has reliably uncovered a plot by the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesome Wike, and PDP in the state to massively rig the elections with financial inducement.

In a press statement issued in Port Harcourt, chairman of the organisation, Mr. Parry Saroh Benson, stated that the governor had procured a loan of N9 billion on behalf of the state to bribe INEC officials, buy off PVCs from the voters and compromise security operatives.

The statement further said that at a meeting held by the caucus of the governor in Government House, it identified Senator Abe as the prime target of their scheme and approved that the sum of N10, 000 be set aside to buy each voters' card in Rivers South East Senatorial District. It stated that in Khana and Gokana Local Government Areas, the plot had commenced as some voters now scramble to sell their voters' card at the mouth watering offer.

The statement urged the people of Rivers South East to demonstrate their strong will by rejecting the money offered to them by Wike as their future is more important than the pittance. It assured that Abe is committed to championing the implementation of the cleanup of Ogoni land and the attendant benefits.

The statement also said that the media campaign team was not surprised as Mr. Wike from those who knew him closely, had never been a democrat. It stated that his approach to politics had always been to rig elections and keep a band of thugs to intimidate opponents.

The statement wondered why the governor would put the people of the State to high indebtedness up to the tune of N9 billion to rig election in his bid to stop Senator Abe in a state where civil servants and teachers had not been paid backlog of their salaries.

"The profligacy of the governor had been legendary. That was why those who knew him well had reservation in his being the governor of the state as he had no consideration to public interest,” it stated.

The media team dismissed the governor's denial of the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Rivers State, Mr. Aniedi Ikiowak, of being a contractor in the Federal Ministry of Education when the governor was the minister, as being economical with the truth, pointing out that the facts will speak for themselves.

On the comment of the governor that if the election was conducted again that he (Abe) would lose, the statement maintained that Abe had a strong electoral base in Rivers South East and his insisting on free and fair election is not borne out of fear but to secure his votes, adding that should the election be free and fair, there was no way he would not emerge victorious.

The statement further said that even PDP as a party recognised Abe's popularity among the people and was putting every effort to contain his acceptance, pointing out that it was why it resorted to campaign of calumny and rigging schemes to pull him down.

•Photo shows Senator Magnus Abe.

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