Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi on Thursday said rigging had always been an issue that caused rift between him and other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Amaechi, who has been firing disparaging comments from all cylinders, at the PDP, said this while expressing doubts about Professor Attahiru Jega’s ability to lead the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fair elections in 2015.
“… all of my followers know I am quite different from the normal PDP person. When I was in the PDP, they saw me as a different person altogether, because I never stood with them on a lot of issues, including rigging,” said Amaechi, while speaking with newsmen at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
“You can ask them; you can ask the PDP if I supported rigging. Before you wake and go to a place, I have finished. I don’t know whether they were rigging or not, but all I am saying is that before you go and come back, everything is over.
“I stood my ground as a governor. And as the people’s governor, insistence is that the people’s mandate is critical and important. I don’t know what PDP does when it comes to voting; I don’t participate; I don’t know what they do, but I assure you that this time round, our votes must count,” he said.
Amaechi emphasized the need for eligible voters in the state to ensure they were registered to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). The exercise started in seven local government areas of the state today out of 23.
“What INEC is doing now is to say all the elections in the past were not properly conducted. Now, it wants to conduct a proper and free election. I did not use the word ‘fair’.
“This is because election in 2015 may be free, but at the end of the day, it may not be fair. If they use police and army to chase away the voters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), do you call that election fair? No matter how much INEC would have used to put a technical process in place, the election won’t still be fair.
“So, you can only say whether the election is fair at the end of the election. But for now, we can assume that INEC will be able to conduct a free election, believing and trusting that Jega will be able to defend his reputation,” he said.
