More trouble for former C'River REC as APC asks EFCC, ICPC to investigate him

Dr. Frankland Briyai, former Cross River REC

The All Progressives Congress, APC in Cross River State has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC as well as  the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC to commence investigation of the former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the state, Dr. Frankland Briyai.

Briyai recently announced his resignation from INEC to join the Bayelsa gubernatorial race under the platform of the APC.

Since the announcement, Briyai has come under attack with the National Headquarters of INEC declaring him sacked for using the Commission's premises to declare his membership of APC even before his resignation letter got to the National Chairman.

The APC in the state has now reacted formally to the development, asking Briyai to explain how he got the money to procure the governorship election in his state.

The party alleged that "the announced results in the governorship election like others was so ridiculous that even in wards and local governments that massive rigging was reported, Dr. Frank still announced his fabricated results".

The party's position regarding the REC's sack was made available in a statement released recently by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bassey Ita, captioned "Dr. Briyai: The Evil That Men Do,Lives With Them."

According to the statement "the sack, slammed on Dr. Frankland Briyai by the National Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, did not come as a surprise given his very treacherous role during the last general elections in the state."

The party maintained that Briyai's fraudulent tendency was exposed when he decided to upturn the victory of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) who had lawfully won the senatorial elections for the Cross River Central Senatorial District.

"His brazen criminality and fraud came to a crescendo when on his personal volition, he called on Senator Ndoma-Egba and congratulated him for having won the elections into the Senate as according to him, almost all the elections results from the field had been returned in his favour."

The statement maintained that "It was only after that call by the REC that he turned back and announced a man he had earlier said lost woefully according to field reports."

The party therefore asked pertinent questions and urged the REC to provide answers thus:

"How much could Dr. Briyai's salaries and allowances even as a senior Public Servant of that category be that he would save much to enable him vie for such a coveted office of Governor if not for graft."

"If Dr. Briyai claims to have raised the money from legitimate means, can he please make the figure of such savings public for avoidance of the doubt that he mortgaged the integrity and neutrality of INEC for personal gains?"

The party however thanked INEC for the swift reaction to sack "the fraudulent REC" and urged the relevant anti-corruption agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC to investigate and subsequently prosecute the sacked Briyai and his collaborators in order to restore public confidence on the revered electoral umpire.