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Insists he did not manipulate results
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Rivers State Presidential Election Collation Officer, Prof Charles Adias, has raised alarm over the persistent threats to his life after the release of the Presidential election results in Rivers State.
Adias, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Otuoke,(FUO), Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was forced to halt collation due to threats to his life but continued after the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner ( REC), Dr Johnson Alaibo Sinikiem assured him of his safety.
In a statement issued on Sunday, entitled ‘MY STEWARDSHIP, MY BOND AS STATE COLLATION OFFICER FOR THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, RIVERS STATE,’ the University don said though he was unaware of the challenges of being a collation officer he decided to weather the storm because of his conviction to the growth and development of the political process in the country.
According to him on his appointment as State Collation Officer for the 2023 Presidential Elections (SCOPE), Rivers State, he took up the challenge as his job was “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.”
Prof Adias explained that by the arrangement put in place, “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).”
While rejecting claims of favouritism towards a particular candidate, he expressed sadness over the “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.”
Prof Adias, who noted that he would not have responded to the allegations after the REC, Dr Alaibo, has cleared the air, said he believed he owes Nigerians an explanation to clear his name.
“Trust me; there is no iota of truth in the rumours that had been peddled. It is just a figment of the imagination of their bearers to what end I cannot really ascertain. I want to urge us to discountenance all the misinformation and lies that have been peddled about me in relation to the conduct of the 2023 Presidential Elections in Rivers State. Let us be assured that my patriotic zeal for the growth and development of our dear country will not be dampened, no matter the seeming discouragements,” he said.
