My phone numbers cloned – Amaechi

The mobile telephone numbers of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, were cloned by unknown persons hours before the governorship and House of Assembly elections on Saturday.

The cloned phone numbers were thereafter used to send fake text messages, discouraging people from coming out to vote the candidates of their choices.

In a brief statement sent to journalists in Rivers while the election lasted, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. David Iyofor, called on voters to disregard the fake text messages, pointing out that Amaechi’s position was for the people to come out in droves to exercise their civic responsibilities.

He said, “This is to inform members of the public that the telephone numbers of Governor Rotimi Amaechi has been cloned and the criminals, who did the cloning, are using it to send out fake text messages to people not to come out and vote.

“Please, that text message is not from Governor Amaechi. The Governor’s position remains that Rivers voters should come out to vote today (Saturday). People should disregard that fake text message.”

Meanwhile, the Governor, during his accreditation in Ubima, his hometown in Ikwerre Local Government Area earlier on Saturday, accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state, Mrs. Gecila Khan, of working tirelessly to ensure the Peoples Democratic Party won the election in Rivers.

Amaechi, who arrived in the community in company with his wife, Judith, around 11.20am, said the irregularities witnessed during the exercise in the state was as a result of the refusal of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to change Khan as REC in the state.

He said, “I am disappointed with the INEC for not redeploying the REC. She is the reason why we encountered problem of thugs hijacking electoral material.

“Some people and officials of INEC were ambushed with important electoral materials carted away. All these things are not supposed to be. I heard elections did not hold in several places like in Obio/Akpor, Asari-Toru and other places in the state.

“But if she had been change, things wouldn’t have been like this.”

Also on Saturday, INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers and Rivers States, Thelma Iremiren, while debunking rumours that electoral materials distributed in Rivers were fake, said, “We received with dismay news that materials in the field were fake.

“Please we wish to inform the public, especially the people of Rivers State that no fake materials were ever released by INEC into the field and as such, voters should go out and vote their leaders.”