Candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State have led their supporters on a protest to the head office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Aba road Port Harcourt.
The protesters, who carried placards with different inscriptions, blocked the major entrance into the INEC office on Aba road, demanding the commission to obey the order of the court and relist the names of the candidates from the National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly candidates.
The aggrieved APC candidates and supporters threatened that there may be no elections in Rivers State if their names are not listed on the ballot as ordered by the Appeal Court which stayed the order of the federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt.
APC senatorial candidate for Rivers South East Senatorial District, Amb. Oji Ngofa accused INEC, of “being in a hurry to delist the names of APC candidates based of the orders of federal high court but have been reluctant in obeying the order of the appeal court which stay the first orders.
“All that the Supreme Court has ruled on are all applications. They are interlocutory matters. They do not bother on the substance of Appeal and that is why the Supreme Court has asked us to go back to the Appeal court.
“We are back at the Appeal Court that has not stayed the order of the High Court. Why is INEC not obeying the Appeal Court order of Stay of Execution.”
On her part, Maureen Tamuno, who is a House of Representative candidate for Ogu-bolo and Okirika Federal constituency, said, “Just yesterday, the Appeal Court maintained that the Stay of Execution be implemented but INEC has refused to implement it.
“Election is coming up on Saturday and members of the APC must be on the ballot. It is our right to vote and chose who we want to vote for.
“We urge the Chairman of INEC and the REC to immediately implement the execution order or else, there will be no election in Rivers state.”
INEC’s Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Edwin Enabor, who addressed the protesters on behalf of the Residents Electoral Commissioner, was turned down by the protesters, who insisted that the REC, Obo Efangha must address them.
DAILY POST reports that as at press time, the protesters were still at the INEC office on Aba road while security has been beefed up with a detachment of police officers who have cordoned off the commissions office.
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