Prof. Charles Adias, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) State Collation Officer for Rivers at the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, again raised the alarm about an ongoing danger to his life on Sunday in Yenagoa.
Prof. Adias, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Otuoke in Bayelsa state, suspended results collation during the elections due to claimed threats.
He claimed that despite having nothing to do with the conduct of the elections or the calculation of the results, some followers of one of the political parties were out for his life and the lives of his family members.
He claimed that individuals accused him of rigging the Rivers elections were disseminating his photograph and personal information on social media and urging party members to deal with him.
He stated on Sunday that while he was aware of the challenges of being a collation officer, he decided to weather the storm because of his commitment to the growth and development of the political process in Nigeria.
“On my appointment as State Collation Officer for the 2023 Presidential Elections (SCOPE) in Rivers, 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.
“I worked within my brief as statutorily demanded and as clearly enunciated in the Electoral Guidelines and other enabling instruments.
“As statutorily designated, I received reports of collated and announced results from local government area council collation officers collated votes scored by each political party from Forms EC8C into Form EC8D and entered the votes scored in the spaces provided,’’ he stated.
He added that the local governments collated results made up the state’s summary, which he cross-checked with the Collation Support and Result Verification System secretariat for computational accuracy.
“I announced loudly the votes scored by each political party; signed, dated and stamped the Form EC8D and requested the polling agents to countersign.
“Other formalities followed up to the final collation centre in Abuja.
“The procedure was dutifully followed under public viewing and in the presence of regular INEC staff, INEC ad-hoc staff, party agents and security personnel, local and foreign observers, and the press.
“There was no adverse and untoward behaviour noted or recorded, all the way,’’ Adias stated.