Registered political parties in Rivers State, under the aegis of Rivers State Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, have expressed disappointment over the suspension of the re-run elections in the state earlier scheduled to hold on July 30.

IPAC’s Chairman, Mr Felix Obuah, in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said: “It is indeed shocking that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, could arbitrarily suspend the elections without consulting the concerned political parties and letting us know why the elections should not go on as planned.

“This is suspicious and clearly shows that Nigeria’s democracy is on trial by an electoral body that ought to be an unbiased umpire. There is no gainsaying the fact that the state has been relatively peaceful, with the residents carrying on with their businesses across the state lawfully and without any incidence of skirmishes in any part of the state as erroneously alleged.

“Compared to other states where elections and re-run polls have taken place also conducted by same INEC, Rivers State can safely be described as a haven mainly due to the efforts of the state government in providing logistic support to the security agencies for maintenance of law and order. Security concerns are a national and indeed, universal phenomenon and not peculiar to Rivers State.

“To, therefore, hide under security concerns to postpone elections long prepared for, almost a year now, is to say the least, deceptive. “We, members of IPAC, Rivers State, hereby, condemn in its entirety the unilateral suspension of the July 30 re-run elections in the state by INEC.

“We also make bold to say that we are very ready and prepared for the elections because we have worked hard to prove to the people that we are capable and remain their best choice to pilot their affairs which are self-evident.

“We, therefore, urge INEC to reverse itself and go ahead to conduct the elections it had so much promised and announced its readiness to do. By postponing the elections, INEC is not doing the state any good because while the rest of the country are fully represented in the National Assembly and have quality legislations to move their respective states forward, Rivers State continues to be stagnated and denied its due representation in all things.”