Rivers by-election: AA candidate petitions INEC, IG

Dr. Douglas Fabeke, the Action Alliance candidate in the Rivers South-East Senatorial District by-election, has formally petitioned Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inspector-General of Police. He alleges significant irregularities marred the recent poll, which saw the Peoples Democratic Party's Olaka Nwogu declared the winner.

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Complaint against alleged electoral misconduct, violence, intimidation, collusion and irregularities during Rivers South-East Senatorial District bye-election and demand for investigation

Fabeke's petition details accusations of voter suppression, intimidation, violence, and vote-buying across the district. He specifically cited incidents in the Bomu area of Gokana Local Government Area, where presiding officers allegedly failed to count votes accurately. The candidate also claimed that some INEC officials and electoral materials were moved to a hotel, where ballot papers belonging to the Action Alliance were allegedly destroyed.

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In Bomu Ward 2, it was reported that some INEC officials were allegedly offered cash inducements of Fifty Thousand Naira (₦50,000) by PDP agents, with threats allegedly issued against officials who refused to cooperate.

Further allegations point to financial inducements, with PDP agents reportedly offering N50,000 to INEC officials in Bomu Ward 2 to secure cooperation, and threatening those who refused. Vote buying was also reported extensively in Khana Local Government Area, with voters allegedly offered N5,000 and N1,000 to vote for the PDP. In Oyigbo Local Government Area, vote buying allegedly led to the disruption and cancellation of voting in one unit.

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Across the Senatorial District, particularly in Khana Local Government Area, reports indicate that vote buying occurred extensively.

The candidate also raised concerns about malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, which he claims disenfranchised registered voters. He alleged that in some polling units, INEC officials interfered with the voting process by manually thumb-printing ballots, inflating voter numbers, and altering results to favor the PDP. Fabeke is demanding an independent investigation into the conduct of electoral officials and security personnel involved in the election.

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It was alleged that some voters were offered cash payments of ₦5,000 and ₦1,000, respectively, in exchange for voting for the PDP