The de-listed candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers have threatened to disrupt elections in the state if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, fails to relist them.
Mr Henry Odili, APC candidate for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni-Ahoada/West Federal Constituency, who spoke at a press conference organised by the de-listed APC candidates in Port Harcourt on Thursday, sent out this message.
He noted that there was no court order stopping the primary elections that that produced them as candidates.
Odili claimed that Gov. Nyesom Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had made boast that the APC would not have candidates in Rivers even before the judgement of the State High Court nullifying the primary elections.
He said what transpired between Wike, the courts and INEC was a manifestation of the boast and his fear of going into election against APC candidates in Rivers.
He pointed out that the electoral law had been crafted in such a way that the courts cannot interfere with the electoral process but lamented that the courts in Rivers have willfully violated that.
“And this is affecting the rights of Rivers people to freely choose their leaders and representatives,” he said.
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He therefore called on INEC to immediately apologise to the APC and Rivers people, and also relist the party’s candidates in the state for the 2019 general elections.
“We demand that INEC should give the same enabling time and environment for political campaigns to the APC in Rivers as they have given to the PDP and other parties.
“Should INEC fail to meet our demands, there will be no national, assembly and governorship elections in Rivers State.
“This is our position until all the cases pending before various courts have gone through to the apex court for final decisions, and our rights to fair hearing guaranteed,” Odili said.
