Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator George Sekibo, winner of the senatorial election in Rivers East Senatorial District.
But the All Progressives Congress in the state has kicked against the result saying it would contest the result as it was not done in line with the law.
Declaring the result at the Collation Centre, the Returning Officer, Prof. Orji Okumenkama, said Sekibo scored 93,098 votes to defeat candidate of the APC, Chief Andrew Uchendu, who scored 34,193 votes.
The announcement of the result, however, did not come without drama. As the result was about to be announced, some security operatives made up of soldiers and policemen in SARS uniform stormed the Port Harcourt City Hall Collation Centre and tried to disrupt the process.
As more people were attracted to the scene, the security operatives shot sporadically into the air to scare people and made their exit.
In the ensuing confusion, the Election Officer, Mary Tokoyo, was manhandled.
“They (security operatives) hit me with chair, they slapped me. I was molested,” she told journalists as she was being taken to hospital for medical attention.
The state Governor, Nyesom Wike, was among those who rushed to the collation centre as the security operatives invaded the centre.
Addressing supporters shortly after the announcement of the results, Sekibo dedicated his victory to “the resilience of Rivers Governor and the people”.