The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation officer for Asari-Toru Council of Rivers State, Dr. Steve Wodu, has attributed alteration of figures in the election results to sight problems.
The alterations were very obvious to the extent that agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Democratic Party (NDP), Action Democratic Party (ACP) among others became restless.
“Where are the figures coming from?” they shouted.
The party agents argued that the results were in total variance with the ones announced at the wards and units.
During the collation yesterday, Wodu said: “The results were collated at night, so the alterations may be due to sight problems.”
When the electoral officer, Kenneth Etang, was called upon to present the council’s result, he was reluctant.
As the INEC Returning Officer, Enefiok Essien, pressed to know why he was unwilling to present the result, he disclosed that he saw the collation officer, last on Saturday by 2pm and wondered how he came up with the results they were about to present.
Meanwhile, the INEC supervisor on the presidential election in the state, Eugene Nwosu, has expressed concern over disagreements on election results between the collation and electoral officers.
Nwosu said, “while collation officers collude with politicians to rig elections, the public continues to blame INEC officers for election rigging.”
The returning officer, who is the Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo, Enefiok Essien, said they could not do anything about the alterations, as their job was to collate results.
He urged the angry party agents to write INEC for further investigation.
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