Women protest in Rivers, teargassed by Mobile Police

About two thousand women came out, Monday morning, to protest in Rivers State to call for the cancellation of the Saturday Presidential elections.

The protesters, Vanguard reports are said to be women representing the All Progressives Congress (APC). They reportedly marched along the Port-Harcourt's every busy Aba road.

They were dispersed by men of the Mobile Police (MOPOL) division of the Nigeria Police Force at the popular Waterlines bus-stop by use of teargas fired into the air.

This prevented the protesters from reaching the INEC office which was about 500 metres away.

In a statement signed by the media aide to the APC chairman in the state, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka, a call was made for the INEC boss in the state not to conduct the governorship and house of assembly elections.

“The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded the immediate suspension of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Gesila Khan, for colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig last weekend’s presidential and National Assembly elections in the State.

For Mrs. Khan to have removed the INEC result sheets in all the polling units in the State with the intention of rigging the polls is a very serious criminal offence. Mrs. Khan should not only be suspended but should not be allowed to conduct the April 11 Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections, as well as the Presidential and National Assembly elections when rescheduled.

We are very convinced that if our case is thoroughly investigated it will be confirmed that the State REC, Mrs. Khan, compromised her office and tarnished the good image of INEC.”, the party said in the statement.

The party also alleged that the army was deployed in the state to work in favour of the PDP, going as far as intimidating them and in some extreme cases, killing them.