Wike says INEC is not prepared to conduct credible elections in 2019

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has cast doubts over the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2019.

While speaking at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday, November 15, 2018, Wike said the commission's mandate has been compromised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He accused the commission of being partisan towards the ruling party.

He said, "Let's not deceive ourselves; INEC is not prepared for credible elections. If there is an agency that is not prepared for 2019, it is INEC. I have no confidence in INEC. There is no amount of INEC's preparations that will convince me.

"INEC chooses how it interprets laws to suit those they support. They choose the court orders to obey and the ones to disregard.

"In one state where it favours a particular party, they obey. In another state, INEC will claim they are yet to see judgments not in favour of the party they support."

The governor also warned that the people of Rivers will not condone any attempts to rig elections in the state in 2019.

"In 2019, whoever wants to manipulate the process to destroy the outcome, the people will come after that person and the family.

"We will not agree that for anybody to rig elections here in Rivers State. Nobody will do anything contrary to the will of the people," he said.

He further alleged that the Federal Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, has pushed back on efforts to amend the Electoral Act because of its plans to manipulate the elections in 2019.

The governor had previously alleged in September that the current government had hatched a plot to postpone elections in Rivers State by using security agencies to cause crisis. He also claimed the government was ready to kill him and several other Nigerians to cheat in the 2019 general elections.