Nigeria:INEC destroying foundation of democracy, says Wike

THE Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Sunday that the state was not celebrating Democracy Day because the Independent National Electoral Commission had destroyed the foundation of democracy by plotting to allocate legislative seats in the state.

Wike spoke during a thanksgiving mass to mark the first anniversary of his administration at Our Lady of Holy Rosary of the Catholic Institute of West Africa in Port Harcourt.

The governor explained that INEC had perfected plans to allocate legislative seats in Rivers instead of conducting the inconclusive rerun elections in the state.

This is just as he also declared that his administration would deliver more pro-people projects and programmes in his second year in office.

“We will not celebrate democracy because INEC wants to determine who will represent Rivers State after two months of cancellation of elections so that it can allocate some seats to the All Progressives Congress and others to the Peoples Democratic Party. Is that democracy?

“We beg INEC to hasten to conduct elections in the remaining seats. We want our representatives in the Senate; we want our representatives in the House of Representatives. We are not saying that INEC should allocate seats to us.

“We don’t want allocation, we want voting; we will not accept allocation of seats. We will only accept elections for the remaining seats,” he said.

On his first year in office, Wike pointed out that he performed creditably and ensured that the people enjoyed the dividends of democracy despite the challenges faced by his administration.

According to him, the successes already recorded will be surpassed in his second year in office.

“This is one year; you have not seen anything as far as development is concerned. In our second year, more development will be witnessed across the state,” he said.

He stated that his administration had taken measures to save funds through biometrics to determine the true number of civil servants in the employment of the state government.

 Wike added that the state government had already paid the April salaries of the 13,000 civil servants, who had completed their biometrics.

Reacting to the allegation against INEC, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, said there was no truth in the governor’s claim.

Ikoiwak maintained that the governor should be asked if the results of the legislative rerun already declared were allocated to him or the PDP.

He said, “I am still assuring you that the remaining election would be held at a yet-to-be fixed date. When the governor says such a thing, the media should probe further by asking him if the declared results of the legislative rerun election were allocated to him or his party.”

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