Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike and five opposition parties have pledged to resist any attempts to rig the March 18 governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state. At a joint press briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Rescue Movement (NRM), the Labour Party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Action Alliance accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the state government to compromise the vote.
APC governorship candidate Tonye Cole alleged that Governor Wike was planning to clamp down on opposition parties during the poll. He demanded that INEC prevent all government officials, including the governor and local government chairmen, from accessing collation centres, warning that their presence would jeopardise the electoral process. “We want a peaceful, free and fair election. Only accredited party agents should have access to the collation centres,” Cole said, urging foreign missions and international observers to pay special attention to Rivers State. He also called on INEC to ensure the BVAS machines function correctly, to upload results at polling units, and to provide adequate security at local government collation centres on March 18.
NRM governorship candidate Sobomabo Jackreech echoed these concerns, accusing INEC of colluding with Wike to rig the elections even before March 18. He urged the commission to act transparently by directing the governor and LGA chairmen to stay away from collation centres, stating that the opposition was not prepared for violence.
ADC governorship candidate Tonte Ibraye pledged to resist any form of rigging. When contacted, INEC’s Head of Voter Education and Publicity in Rivers, Mr. Mark Usulor, dismissed the allegations as false and baseless, calling them “fake news and misinformation.” He affirmed that INEC remains a transparent electoral body, despite some glitches in the previous election, and reiterated its commitment to conducting a credible and acceptable poll for the people of Rivers State.
State Commissioner for Information and Communications Chris Finebone also described the parties’ fears as unfounded propaganda. He recounted that during the last election the governor was able to vote after a brief delay caused by a malfunctioning BVAS machine and then left for home. Finebone dismissed reports of the governor trying to influence voters or INEC as “fake news,” suggesting that the opposition was pre‑emptively crafting a narrative to explain a potential defeat. He concluded that the governor’s only intention on Saturday would be to cast his vote and return home.
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