Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has assured that the people of the state are committed to peaceful and credible polls.
He also advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to work within the law to avoid violence. Wike however condemned the death of soldiers in a gun battle with sea pirates, but pointed out that the unfortunate incident had nothing to do with the rerun elections.
Simeon Nwakaudu, the Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor, Electronic Media, stated that Wike spoke while granting audience to the Consul-General of the United States of America Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. John Bray, on Friday, March 18, 2016. The governor also regretted that result sheets were missing for some wards in the state ahead of the rerun elections, pointing out that the vigilance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agents revealed the untoward situation. The governor explained that the PDP continued to raise alarm because of its commitment to credible and peaceful polls. He said that the Rivers people believe that officials of INEC and security agencies must not take actions that will engender violence during and after the elections. “Rivers State is key to this country. Let nobody think that anything can happen to Rivers State “, the governor said. He commended the government and people of the United States of America for showing interest in the election, urging them to spread their tentacles across the state to have a comprehensive idea of the rerun elections. The governor informed the United States Government that his administration was supporting security agencies with logistics and finances to fight cult-ralated violence in the state, pointing out that the security agencies are bringing the situation under control. In his remarks, Bray said that the team was in the state as part of international observers to ensure peaceful, credible, free and fair rerun elections on March 19, 2016.