Dr. Douglas Fabeke, the Action Alliance (AA) nominee for the Rivers South-East Senatorial bye-election held on June 20, has formally challenged the results. He has submitted petitions to both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, citing significant issues with the electoral process.
Fabeke contends that the election was marred by intimidation, violence, and systematic voter suppression throughout the seven local government areas involved. He alleges that certain security personnel and election officials worked together to benefit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Olaka Nwogu. Specific accusations include the diversion of voting materials, the destruction of AA ballot papers, and the malfunction of BVAS devices.
Furthermore, Fabeke reports that electoral officials engaged in misconduct, such as inflating figures and performing unauthorized manual thumb-printing. He also highlighted reports of vote buying, where citizens were allegedly paid between ₦1,000 and ₦5,000 for their support. The candidate has explicitly rejected the final results, characterizing them as the product of a fraudulent process.
In his petition, Fabeke demands a thorough, independent investigation. He is urging authorities to conduct a forensic review of all materials, including ballot papers and BVAS data. Ultimately, he is calling on INEC to acknowledge him as the legitimate winner following a comprehensive audit of the election.
