Rivers: Beke-led APC accuses RSIEC of bias over LG election candidate list

The Emeka Beke faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has faulted the claim by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, led by its chairman, Michael Odey, that it has not received any court notices challenging the August 30 local government elections.

The Commissioner for Political Parties Affairs, Monitoring, and Security, Godfrey Woke, told journalists that RSIEC had only received a letter from lawyers representing the Emeka Beke-led APC, notifying the commission of a court judgment confirming their group as the authentic leadership of the party in the state.

Woke further disclosed that 17 political parties will participate in the August 30 local government council elections, with the exception of ADC and Boot Party.

He added that the list of cleared candidates for councillor and chairman positions will be released this week.

However, the State Publicity Secretary of the Emeka Beke faction of the APC, Darlington Nwauju, in an interview, said RSIEC’s decision to disregard the contents of the letter from their lawyers and instead announce candidates described as “unknown persons” representing the APC raises serious concerns about the commission’s integrity, fairness, transparency, and accountability to the people of Rivers State.

Nwauju said that, having received the letter from the Beke-led APC, RSIEC should not have accepted any list of candidates submitted outside the party’s recognised leadership.

He accused RSIEC of acting in violation of the court’s position and exhibiting bias.

Nwauju said, “I think that going back and forth with issues pertaining to the conduct of August 30 local government elections proposed for Rivers State is very unnecessary, given the fact that we should have clean conversations and everything that should be done, should be done perfectly, administratively, logically and intellectually.

“Now we have followed due protocols. Yes, thank God he has acknowledged the fact that our lawyers have written, drawing attention of RSIEC that there is a subsisting judgement of court which validates the leadership of Chief Emeka Beke as chairman of APC in Rivers State.

“He has also acknowledged the fact that they were in receipt of that letter even before they began the screening of their candidates.

“And for RSIEC to jettison the contents of that letter and to go ahead to screen persons who are unknown to the leadership of APC in Rivers State, calls a lot to question concerning the integrity, fairness, transparency and accountability of RSIEC to Rivers people.

“Now, having received such a letter, the onus was on RSIEC to make sure that they had nothing to do with the list purportedly sent by anybody in the name of APC outside the leadership of Chief Emeka Beke and Sam Sam Etetegwo.”

Nwauju further warned that any attempt by RSIEC to discard the list of candidates submitted by the Emeka Beke-led APC and publish another list without Emeka Beke’s endorsement would be met with resistance, as “illegality cannot thrive in Rivers State.”

Rivers: Beke-led APC accuses RSIEC of bias over LG election candidate list