Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said the rejection of electronic transmission of election results by All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the National Assembly, even when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) affirmed it has the capacity to electronically transmit results, is tantamount to a coup against Nigerians desirous of free, fair and credible elections.
The governor described National Assembly members who voted against electronic transmission of results as enemies of the country, saying their action was detrimental to the growth and consolidation of the country’s democracy.
He said President Muhammad Buhari’s failure to prevail on APC federal lawmakers to support the inclusion of electronic transmission of election results in the amended Electoral Act has shown he does not intend to leave a legacy of transparent electoral process.
Governor Wike stated this during the official presentation of letter of nomination to him as “2020 Governor of the Year” by the management of Leadership Media Group at Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Wike said the current National Assembly capitalised on the seeming political indifference of Nigerians to vote against the inclusion of electronic transmission of election results in the amended Electoral Act.
“Those who voted against e-transmission of results should be ashamed of themselves. They never mean well for this country. If you are a member of the National Assembly and you voted against electronic transmission of results, your children should call you and say ‘daddy, are you well’?
“I can’t believe anybody who went to school in this digital period, will vote against electronic transmission of results. What kind of country is this? What kind of National Assembly members do we have? It is a coup against the people, and when you plot a coup, you know the consequences of plotting a coup. National Assembly members have plotted coup against Nigerians and Nigerians should hold them responsible. All they are planning is to rig election, because they know Nigerians have abandoned them.”
The governor said he expected President Buhari, who had openly declared his respects of former President Goodluck Jonathan, for not compromising the 2015 general elections, to build on the electoral legacy of his predecessor.
“If Jonathan did not believe in the transparency of the election, he would not have allowed card reader to be used. So, he introduced the card reader as a sitting president, knowing full well that that could be an albatross to him. But, he said no, I want us to move to the next level.”
Wike commiserated with the family and management of the Leadership Media Group over the death of the founder of the newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah and urged them to use the newspaper as a voice for the people.
Group Managing Director of Leadership Newspaper, Muazu Elazeh, said they were in Port Harcourt to formally present Governor Wike the letter of his nomination as the Leadership Governor of the Year and then to invite him to attend Leadership conference slated for September.
Credits: The Sun, Tony John.
