The Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr Johnson Sinikiem has revealed that there is a threat to the life of the State Collation Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Otuoke, Bayelsa, Professor Charles Teddy Adias.

The Resident Commissioner made this revelation during the press briefing at the state results collation on Monday, indicating that the threats have become imminent due to the election results in the state.

Rivers is one of the States whose results are yet to be fully collated due to many reported disparities and irregularities in the electioneering process in some parts of the States, and as result, some supporters of political parties have been pointing accusing fingers at the electoral commission.

Speaking in respect of the threats, Mr Sinikiem urged the political parties and stakeholders to embrace peace during the collation process, stating that the collation officer’s duty is to oversee the collation process as he is neither the Presiding Officers nor Supervising Presiding Officer.

He, therefore called on the stakeholders and securing agencies to act on the attempt to truncate the process. “The Independent National Electoral Commission, Rivers State has been notified of the threat to the life of the state collation officer for the presidential elections in Rivers State Professor Teddy Charles Adias, the vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Federal University Otueke, Mr Sinikiem said.

“I want to urge the public and our critical stakeholders to know that the function of the state Collation officer is just to collate the results of elections conducted at the various local government areas of the state. He is not a Supervising Presiding officer nor a Presiding Officer that conducts elections at the polling units. He is only collating the results already collated at the local governments that cannot be changed except by the verdict of an election tribunal.

“I urged those concerned to cease forth in unleashing threats because his job does not involve accreditation, voting, counting, computation, validation of votes by the parties at the primaries and secondary levels.

“I wish to draw the attention of the security agencies especially the elections commissioner of police for Rivers State that is equally the chairman of the inter-agency Committee on elections security to this attempt to truncate the Collation of the presidential elections in Rivers State”.

The REC also announced the suspension of the elections in two houses of representatives and that of a senatorial district because of irregularities

“In another development, I wish to notify the public that INEC in Rivers has suspended elections in two House of Representatives constituencies in the state and PortHarcourt Senatorial District for alleged irregularities

“The commission will conduct a thorough investigation before further decisions will be taken,” he said