Tai Result: INEC Stance Emboldens APC, As Party Seeks Electorate's Support In Rerun Polls

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to the electorate in the state to emulate the people of Tai constituency by overwhelmingly casting their votes for all the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates during the forthcoming rerun elections in the state.
A statement, Friday, in Port Harcourt by the state Chairman, APC, Dr Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said that, “By so doing, the Rivers electorate would have taken one more step towards saving our dear state from the grip of the callous and bloodthirsty Peoples Democratic Party.”
The party was reacting to the declaration, earlier this week by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the result of Tai in the March 19, 2016, rerun legislative election remains valid, thus effectively terminating PDP’s attempts to truncate the people’s mandate freely given to APC.
“We remain resolute that the good people of Tai have set in motion the chain of events to end the reign of terror, maladministration and savagery associated with the PDP in Rivers State,” the statement added.
“This call for the entire Rivers State people to emulate the Tai people in this regard becomes imperative following remarks credited to the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, that, ‘The ongoing killings in Rivers State is a normal thing…’ For a government that is supposed to save lives and properties to state that killing of our people is normal simply demonstrates the height of insensitivity,” Ikanya explained.
The Rivers APC commended INEC “for this boldness in the face of threat, intimidation and harassment by the PDP and Rivers State Government under the watch of Chief Nyesom Wike.”
The party also condemned “the unprovoked attack and burning of the home of former leader of Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Chidi Lloyd in Akpabu community of Emohua Local Government Area by the PDP agents. This act of lawlessness by the PDP Government in Rivers State is no longer acceptable to us and should be condemned by all and sundry. It is sad that Chidi Lloyd, whose only crime, like others so far killed by the PDP agents, is that they belong to APC, should suffer this.
“We wish to urge and plead with the entire people of Rivers State to remain calm, peaceful and resolute in their determination to drive away the remnants of PDP from our dear state during the forthcoming rerun elections by voting only for APC candidates.
“In this light, we wish to admonish the leadership and members of Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), to stop further threat to the peace of Rivers State as evident in their recent press statement in which they threatened to unleash terror and mayhem if INEC goes ahead with the rerun election in the state. We wish to remind the group that it is no longer business as usual as the present leadership of the country’s security agencies is very capable of checking their excesses.”
The APC further condoled with the Nigerian Police over the recent brutal killing of two of its personnel at Omoku, and urged the police “not to relent until criminals and vandals are fished out and chased away from our dear state.”