WITH two Local Government Areas (LGA) left to declare final results, Rivers State Collation Officer for the presidential election, Prof Teddy Charles Adias, has adjourned collation indefinitely till growing threats to his life and family over his role in the process are addressed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This morning in Port Harcourt at the State Collation Center in INEC Rivers, Prof Adias who is Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa state, refused appeals from stakeholders including assurances from the police for him to conclude the process.
Ironically, the State Collation Officer said the death threats and calls he continues to receive are coming from persons claiming to be members of the Labour Party (LP) whose presidential candidate, Peter Obi is leading the results in Rivers with just two LGAs to conclude collation.
“Until INEC addresses the concerns I have raised, the collation stands adjourned. There is a misconception about my role in the process. They are posting in social media, calling and texting that I’m the man who is rigging Rivers state elections”, a calm Adias said as he declared the process adjourned.
Meanwhile, Obi who has won only five of the 21 LGAs so far collated, is polling a total of 170,052 ahead of Bola Tinubu of APC who has won 13 LGAs and polled 148,977 votes. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abunakar with wins in three LGAs controlled by his men is placed third on the presidential table for Rivers with
83966 votes.
Obi’s overwhelming votes with win in just five LGAs so far came from Port Harcourt City LGA, Rivers LGA second highest voters population where the LP candidate raked 62451 votes against APC’s 5562 votes.
Results for Degema and highest polling Obio/Akpor LGAs are the only ones left to determine who won Rivers in the 2023 presidential elections.
