Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
More than one week after announcing the result of the just concluded presidential election in Rivers State, the Collation Officer, Prof. Charles Adias has raised the alarm over unabated threat to his life.
The varsity don who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Otuoke (FUO), had during collation exercise of results addressed newsmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State of adjournment due to threat to his life and family members.
Adias, had alleged that some persons especially members of the Labour Party (LP) were after his life despite having nothing to do with conduct of elections and computation of results.
He said those accusing him of rigging election in Rivers State were trending his picture and personal information on social media and calling on their members to deal with him.
In a statement issued yesterday, titled “My Stewardship, My Bond as State Collation Officer for the 2023 Presidential Election, Rivers State,” the don said though he was unaware of the challenges of being a collation officer, he decided to take up the task because of his conviction to the growth and development of the political process in the country.
In the statement made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, he wrote, “On my appointment as State Collation Officer for the 2023 Presidential Elections (SCOPE), Rivers State, I had set out, as a call to duty on national assignment to fulfil an essential part of my community service as an academic and Vice-Chancellor of a federal university.
“Hence, I worked within the scope of my briefs as statutorily demanded, and as clearly enunciated in the electoral guidelines and other enabling instruments.
“By the nature of my assignment, as it is with every other job in this sphere, I knew it was going to be challenging, but I braved it being assured that I would surmount whatever challenge by the grace of God.
“As statutorily designated, my job as the SCOPE, Rivers State, and as expected of all vice-chancellor of federal universities, who were also deployed to other States of the Federation too, I received the report of collated and announced results from Local Government Area Council Collation Officers (EC8C).
“Collated the votes scored by each Political Party from Forms EC8C into Form EC8D and entered the votes scored in the spaces provided; added up the LGA collated results to obtain the State’s summary; cross-checked the totals and entries in Form EC8D with the Collation Support and Result Verification System (CSRVS) secretariat for computational accuracy; announced loudly the votes scored by each Political Party; signed, dated and stamped the Form EC8D and requested the Polling Agents to countersign; Then other formalities followed up the ladder to the final Collation Centre in Abuja.
“The above procedures were dutifully followed under public viewing and in presence of all the officials, from the designated regular INEC Staff, INEC Ad-hoc Staff, Party Agents and Officers, Security Personnel to local and Foreign Observers, and the Press, with no adverse and untoward behaviours noted or recorded, all the way.”
He explained further: “Also, as explained above, my job, as it is with other 36 federal universities’ vice-chancellors, was simply to dutifully collate results that had been recorded at the units, wards and local government levels up to the state’s collation centre where all the scores were summed up in the presence of all concerned persons and groups, including but not limited to party agents.
“By this arrangement it is quite impossible for a State Collation Officer for the presidential election to manipulate scores that had already been counted, recorded, confirmed, signed, and stamped by Officers at the lower levels of Collation (Unit, Ward, and LGA).
“Looking at the scope and modalities of my job as well as my neutrality as a vice-chancellor, how could anyone have imagined to the extent of alleging that I was out to favour any candidate or political party in the Presidential Elections?
“To put the records straight, I began to receive several phone calls and text messages threatening, abusing and insulting my person and family on February 26, 2023 while I was on my way to Port Harcourt to report to duty not knowing that my photograph and phone number had already been circulated on the social media, especially Facebook and Twitter alleging that I had been detailed to influence votes and scores for Candidate(s) in the elections by manipulating the BVAS machines in Rivers State among others.
“On getting to Port Harcourt, I had to inform the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) about my experiences which he roundly condemned and promised that my safety was assured and pledged that the Commission would do something about it.”
Narrating further, Adias said after collating results for three local government areas on February 26, 2023, he retired to his hotel room. But while he tried to rest to prepare for the following day, the threat calls and messages still continued.
“I managed to bear it all till the following day when I set out to collate results for 18 more local government areas making it 21 LGAs as at February 27, 2023.
“At the end of the hectic process of Collation for that day, the results for Obio/Akpor and Degema Local Government Areas were not ready.
“Considering all what had happened, the following day, on February 28, 2023, I decided to adjourn the Collation of results and insisted on a press conference to let everyone know about the several threats to my life and as they may affect the collation exercise.
“Thereafter, the collation was adjourned, and I insisted that until INEC addressed the issues of misinformation, blackmail; and defined the roles of SCOPE as distinct from that of other Officers whose duty it is to receive results as collated at the Units to the Wards, all through to the local governments, I would not go on with the exercise,” he added.
