INEC commissioner, others declare Rivers gov poll credible, peaceful

A National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Christopher Iyimoga, and a monarch, Chie Sunny Chinda, yesterday declared that the Rivers State Governorship Election held on April 11, 2015 was peaceful, credible, free and fair.

Iyimoga served as a member of the team from INEC headquarters that supervised the Rivers State governorship election. The other two national commissioners of INEC in that team were Mrs. Thelma Erimere and Professor Nurudeen. Chinda is a traditional ruler in Orogbum in Port Harcourt Local Government Area.

Giving evidence, Iyimoga declared at the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja that the INEC National Election Monitoring Team for Rivers State visited six local government areas and observed that the election was peaceful and conducted in line with INEC guidelines and the Electoral Act.

Iyimoga told the tribunal that soldiers and operatives of the DSS were not part of the official INEC National Monitoring sTeam to Rivers State and therefore were incompetent to speak about the said polls. According to him, only conventional policemen were attached to the said monitoring team.

He listed the six local government areas visited by the three-member INEC team as Port Harcourt, Obio /Akpor, Eleme, Gokana, Khana and Tai. He stated that the election day was peaceful and referred to young boys on the streets whom he said were playing football in different locations, stating that under a violent environment boys could not have been playing football on the street.

According to him, during the monitoring of the election in the six local government areas, the team did not encounter any form of shooting or snatching of election materials.

Commenting on Charles Okoye invited by the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) as Petitioner Witness (PW) 40, the INEC national commissioner said the witness was a travel guide to the team and therefore had no legal authority to write a formal report.

He stated that to the best of his knowledge, no report was written by the INEC National Team as none has been brought to his attention.

Under cross examination by counsel to Rivers State APC, Akin Olujimi (SAN ) , the INEC official stated that the commission noted that where card readers failed during the election, forms should be used for accreditation.

“He functioned as a monitor and not as a returning officer or collation officer. Therefore, he informed the tribunal that he should not be used to demonstrate INEC documents meant for the said officers.”

Chinda, who is also a consultant gynaecologist, said he was accredited via card reader. He said the election was devoid of violence.

Another voter, Nkor Philip Abenyibari who voted at Unit 16 Ward 4 of Gokana LGA, said he was accredited with the card reader and voted in a peaceful environment.
Abenyibari, a civil servant, said no soldiers came to his polling unit as the election was peaceful.

Alu Daboere who voted at Unit 8 Ward 5 of Degema LGA said that the election was peaceful. Debre, a fisherman said he was duly accredited before casting his voted.

All the voters said they did not see soldiers at their polling units. The voters further declared that they did not see any illegal thumb printing of ballot papers. The voters were from three local government areas, namely : Degema, Port Harcourt and Gokana.