The British High Commission has tweeted reservations at the attitude of security officials which stalled the electoral process in Rivers State.
Said the Commission in the tweet: “Extremely concerned by reports, including from @UKinnigeria observers, of military interference in the election process in Rivers State. Monitoring the situation closely @inec staff must be allowed to do their jobs in safety, without intimidation.”
But the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) has told INEC to announce Rivers results immediately, rejecting the suspension of the electoral process.
Blaming violence in Rivers, INEC headquarters Sunday evening suspended the process.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged INEC to end its “manipulative schemes” and immediately declare the result of the March 9, 2019 Rivers state governorship election.
It said in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan: “The party rejects the decision by INEC to suspend the electoral process in the state, after results have been collated.
“The PDP alerts that this is a premeditated plan by the APC-led Federal Government to use the instrument of INEC and security agencies to truncate the wishes of the Rivers people as already delivered at the polling units.
“Our party contends that elections have been concluded in Rivers state; results of the Governorship and House of Assembly polls have been declared at the various polling units, wards and local government collation centers and all returning officers and political parties in the ballot conclusively have the figures.
“It is therefore directly incumbent on INEC to declare the final results instead of deliberately creating openings for the subversion of the final process; a development, which exposes the Commission’s complicity with the Buhari Presidency and the APC to enmesh the election into unnecessary crisis.
“Our party cautions INEC to note that a lot of innocent Nigerians have already been killed by the APC in its desperation to forcefully take over Rivers state. The commission should therefore save the state from more bloodletting by immediately declaring the results.
“Furthermore, the PDP calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to reflect on the bloodlettings that have characterized this election, which many Nigerians believe, would have been averted if he had signed the Amendment to the Electoral Act.
“Mr. President should immediately call the security agencies (who have been annexed as departments of the APC) to end their siege to our electoral process. Any further delay is a recipe for escalation of crisis in our nation.”