The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) made an impressive showing on Monday in the Rivers State National and State Assembly rerun elections as it clinched two senatorial seats.
The party’s candidate, Senator George Sekibo, picked the Rivers East Senatorial seat by defeating his All Progressives Congress (APC) rival, Chief Andrew Uchendu.
In the Rivers West Senatorial District, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Osinachukwu Ideozu of the PDP the winner of the contest.
He got 107,166 votes to defeat his APC closest rival, Otelemaba Amachree, who polled 48,898 votes.
Sekibo had defeated Uchendu in the 2015 election but the result of the poll was nullified by the election tribunal and the Appeal Court which sat in Abuja.
The Returning Officer for the Rivers East Senatorial District, Prof Orji Onu Ekumankama, who announced the result at the Port Harcourt City Local Government Council, said Sekibo scored 93,098 votes to beat Uchendu who had 34,193.
Speaking at the Government House, Port Harcourt, after the result was announced, Governor Nyesom Wike, said: “I thank God for the strength and courage He has given to us in this election. We have really sacrificed. I know that freedom comes with sacrifice.
“Rivers people were murdered for just a simple legislative election. The Federal Government came with their might to conquer Rivers State, just because they want to win. They killed people because they want the state.
“The blood of those people they killed will be on their heads. States that cannot pay their workers’ salary and cannot carry out meaningful projects brought money to rig election in this state.
“They should be ashamed because they won one but we won two of the senatorial seats. They fought but God said no way! Do not be intimidated. This will never happen in 2019. They have shown us that there is no democracy in Nigeria; that’s why they have conducted elections in this manner”.
Meanwhile, the PDP national headquarters have rejected the declaration of Senator Magnus Abe by INEC as Senator-elect.
The party condemned the role of the Army, Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other security agencies and asked them to stop disgracing the nation.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the PDP condemned the delay of INEC in releasing the results of the election.
The party described the declaration of Abe as Senator-elect as an unprecedented massive manipulation of the electoral process in active connivance with the security agencies.
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