The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over what it described as “renewed subterranean moves to have the March 19, cancelled legislative re-run election in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State announced fraudulently in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In what was described as a strong worded petition signed by the Rivers State PDP chairman, Bro Felix Obuah the party said it noted with dismay, the desperation of the APC to compel INEC to pronounce a result for an election that was cancelled by the same INEC.

Bro. Obuah reminded the INEC chairman of an earlier petition by a concerned Rivers indigene to the House of Representatives that no election took place in Tai Local Government Area on that day, which he (INEC) also re-stated before the National Assembly, assuring that the entire election will be rescheduled in Tai, a position he also publicly acclaimed at a stakeholders’ meeting at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

The State PDP chairman also recalled a court suit No FHC/PH/CS/2016 where the INEC chairman is the first respondent in which the court ordered that fresh re-run election be held in the entire Tai LGA, and restrained INEC from accepting any other result for the council area.

Also lending credence to the petition, the PDP cited yet another suit by the APC at the Federal High Court, Abuja seeking for an order of mandamus to compel the INEC to issue an undeserved certificate of return to the APC candidate based on the cancelled March 19 re-run election, describing it as an abuse of court process.

Pointing out the obvious consequences of the APC’s scheming, the State PDP chairman, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, appealed that INEC remain resolute in its earlier decision and stand by the cancellation as allowing the APC have its way will not only be contemptuous of the subsisting court judgment but would also have denied all the parties the right of recourse to election petition tribunal, warning that such action is capable of causing a breach of public peace and must be avoided.

•Photo shows Bro Obuah.

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