Lulu-Briggs, however, alleged that INEC is as guilty as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the rigging of the elections in Rivers State
The Governorship Candidate of the Accord Party in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC of uploading fictitious results on the INEC Results Viewing Portal.
As a result, he has called for the outright cancellation of the governorship and state house of assembly elections conducted in the state on the 18th of March, urging the electoral umpire for a fresh poll.
Lulu-Briggs, however, alleged that INEC is as guilty as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the rigging of the elections in Rivers State, adding that results uploaded on the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) are fictitious and not the true results obtained from the polling units.
The candidate in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday titled, ‘Lest they die in Vain’, said after the election that the candidates of Accord painstakingly evaluated the entire process leading to the announcement of the candidate of the PDP, Siminialaye Fubara, as governor-elect, stating that INEC guidelines were totally violated.
He noted that the people of Rivers State after the despair of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, on the 25th of February, came out in their numbers to cast their votes based on INEC’s reassurance of credible polls, but that the people instead of ballot papers were again served with violence leading to deaths and destruction of property.
Lulu-Briggs noted that candidates of the party were attacked before the election persons in police uniform, adding that traditional rulers and community leaders were coerced to adopt the candidate of the PDP or lose their offices.
He said: “Our people trooped out to vote in what they thought would be a free, fair and transparent election. They came out to perform their sacred duties to birth a new Rivers State. They were in high spirits.
“But political thugs, gunmen and unscrupulous state security agents unleashed violence and bloodshed on them. As it is, the violence of 2015 and 2019 has repeated itself. Again, the blood of our innocent compatriots has been used to water the ambition of desperate Rivers State politicians.”
He said before the election that he was rated as one for the top contenders of the number one office of the state, but that at the end of the polls that his results were changed in favour of the PDP.
Lulu-Briggs said: “Contrary to INEC’s assurance after the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the electoral umpire allowed PDP strongmen to hijack the electoral process in most of the 6,866 polling units and thwarted the electronic transmission of results in real time.
“All over the state, PDP members in the company of secuity men allocated votes to PDP candidates by seizing the BVAS machines and uploading fictitious figures on the IReV.
“Ahead of the elections, all the polls indicated that I was a topmost to governorship candidate. On election day, I got feedbacks on how well I was performing, but my votes were changed by the PDP in most of the places that I won.”
He, however, urged the INEC to cancel the election and give a date for fresh polls in the state, warning that if the commission fails that he would have no option that to seek redress at the tribunal.
“In the light of the above, and lest the dead die in Vain’, I call on INEC to cancel the entire elections of March 18th in Rivers State and hold a fresh governorship and house of assembly elections.
“Failure to heed this call will leave my party and me no choice but to file a petition at the election tribunal to challenge this travesty,” he added.