Rivers APC demands removal of state REC

Protesters from Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday besieged the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, demanding the immediate removal of Gesila Khan, resident electoral commissioner (REC) of the state.

The protesters numbering about 1000 also demanded to see Attahiru Jega, INEC chairman, to register their grievances.

The protest is coming a day after the All Progressives Congress (APC) accused Khan of colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to unleash violence on its supporters as well as to rig the‎ elections.

The protesters, who all carried placards with inscriptions voicing the sack of the Rivers resident electoral commission, also called for an end to the crisis in the state.

‎One of the protesters, who refused to give his name, told newsmen that “we don’t want her again. She must go. We want an end to the problem in Rivers State.”

Expectedly, the protesters became agitated when Jega did not come before them, but the presence of security agents forestalled any breakdown of law and order‎.

However, Shettima Ngiladar, director of security at INEC‎, spoke to the protesters assuring them that the commission would look into their demands.

In his address, Ngiladar noted that the commission had received petitions calling for the sack of Khan, but there was no concrete reason for her removal.

“The protesters from Rivers State have written a letter to the commission asking for the removal of the state’s electoral commissioner,” he said.

“We have received the letter and the commission will look at it based on its merit and whether it is valid or not because there are petitions of this nature that people…just cook up…”