By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIIA—AHEAD of Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly election, Abia State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has warned that it would not tolerate rigging and manipulation of election results as played out in the presidential and National Assembly election of March 28 in the state.

The party also tasked the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Selina Oko, to cancel the National Assembly election result announced by the commission or in the alternative produce  the authentic results in its custody.

Abia APC also called for a stakeholders meeting of the REC, security operatives and election/poll officers with political party representatives to discuss the modalities to ensure free, fair and credible governorship and State Assembly polls on Saturday.

The party warned that it would resist any acts of intimidation, harassment and arrest of its polling agents as allegedly done in the last election.

The party also called for total overhaul of the electoral officers in the state.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Umuahia, state chairman of the party, Mr. Donatus Nwankpa, described last week’s election in the entire South East as a mockery.

‘’We have petitioned INEC and are questioning INEC’s capacity to conduct credible election that APC is confident and has the capacity to win,” he said.

Flanked by the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Anyim Nyerere and the state and Local Government executive committee members, Nwankpa said that APC and it supporters were determined to vote and protect their votes.

He said:  “We should see the Saturday election as a challenge. We should reclaim our position in the nation’s polity; Abia cannot afford to be in the opposition this time.

“We condemn the manner the National Assembly election was conducted in the state on March 28 which featured late materials arrival at the polling units, maltreatment and intimidation of election officials and Parties Agents among others.