By Ikenna Uwadileke

The National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel elections in Obio/Akpor, Khana, Eleme, Obigbo, Rumukoro areas in Rivers.

Abure made the call in a statement he issued on Sunday in Abuja.

According to him, the leadership of the Labour Party is shocked by the revelations emanating from Rivers State after the presidential and National Assembly elections which held on Saturday.

Abure alleged that thugs invaded various polling units and collation centres, took away election materials including the results sheets.

He further alleged that the thugs manipulated the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and uploaded fake results into the central portal.

“We took particular note of incidences in places like Obio/Akpor, Khana, Eleme, Obigbo, Rumukoro and several other areas where Labour Party was clearly leading in virtually all the polling units with very wide margins.

“Nigerians went into this election based on the assurances by INEC that the deployment of BVAS was a perfect antidote to electoral malpractices in Nigeria.

“But what transpired across Nigeria, if allowed to stand is purely a betrayal of trust of millions of Nigerians by INEC,” Abure said.

He alleged that INEC’s staff were intimidated by these thugs in connivance with military personnel and police officers who were deployed to protect them, into doing their bidding and were forced to manipulate the BVAS.

Abure alleged that some of these manipulations happened late in the night.

“We demand that INEC investigate these atrocities against Nigerian voters by the political class.

“We are therefore asking that INEC should rise to the occasion and cancel all the unverified and manipulated results arising from the presidential and national assembly elections in parts of Rivers State.

“Particularly in places like Obio/Akpor, Khana, Eleme, Obigbo and Rumukoro amongst others,’’ Abure said. (NAN)