Agents of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), in Rivers state who testified before Justice K.A. Orjiako-led a 3-man governorship election tribunal in Port Harcourt, on Thursday and they denied any form of violence, or disruption of the exercise in the state on March 9, 2019 governorship elections.
Mr Chinyere Igwe, a former commissioner who was the Collation agent for the PDP party at Port Harcourt City LGA during the polls and Dan Mean, collation agent for Ward 7, Andoni LGA yesterday denied any record l cation violence.
The Action Democratic Party(ADP), state governorship candidate at the election, Victor Fingesi is challenging the victory of Governor Nyesom Wike at the polls, using the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC), March 15, 2019 Press statement that the election in the state was marred by violence and disruption, which led to the suspension of collation of election results, as grounds for his petition.
Fingesi is seeking the cancellation of the election bases and insisting that a fresh election should be conducted.
But the PDP agents on Thursday said the exercise was smooth and hitch-free and was not disrupted at all.
The former commissioner in his evidence- in -chief said he did not witness any irregularities during the election, adding that the election was conducted peacefully in line with the stipulated guidelines across his LGA.
He said that accreditation, election and collation of results were done peacefully and successfully at Port Harcourt City Local Government Area without any suspension.
“Port Harcourt City LGA was at Elekahia primary school, I was present at the collation centre and I witnessed the collation of results as the collation agent there. The result was announced by the electoral officer on March 10 at about 12 noon.
“Elections went successfully at the 20 wards of the local government area and all due processes were followed, the results were announced accordingly, it was collation at the state level that collation were suspended and not the local government level.”
Also Nsan, who served as collation agent for Ward 7, Andoni LGA, told the tribunal that he was present at the ward collation centre at his ward when results were collated by INEC Officials, adding that he witnessed the collation of unit and ward results into the forms EC8A and EC8B.
“INEC officials were present at the polling units, they entered the units results at the form EC8A and also entered the ward result into the form EC8B.
“I was given my own copy of the results but I have submitted them to my party.”
