By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria
An open-ended curfew has been imposed in Nigeria's tension-soaked Rivers State as the ruling party and the opposition traded accusations over the conduct and the outcome of Saturday's general elections in the state.
"The Rivers State Government has declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the state beginning from Monday," George Feyii, the secretary to the state government, announced in a Tuesday press statement.
"The curfew subsists until further notice," he asserted.
Feyii said that residents of the state should observe the curfew from the hour of 7pm to 6am except for workers on special duties.
He asserted that the curfew was meant to "forestall any breakdown of law and order in the state and to ensure the protection of lives and property of law abiding citizens."
In what points up the brewing crisis in the state, Rivers police spokesman Ahmad Mohammad said the State Police Command was not aware of the announcement from the state government.
"Police authorities are not aware of such curfew," he told the Anadolu Agency by phone.
The Independent National Election Commission (INEC), meanwhile, is investigating claims of poll fraud in the Rivers raised by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
"INEC has set up a fact finding mission to ascertain the veracity of the claims and allegations and to advice the commission," the body said in a statement late Monday.
"Following the consideration of the report, the commission will make its decision known," it added.
The INEC state arm has declared incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan the winner of the vote in Rivers with roughly 1.4 million votes.
Legally, only the court of law can upturn the result as already announced by the returning officer on the field - implying that the INEC fact finding mission is at best an academic exercise.
APC's candidate Muhammadu Buhari is leading the presidential race against Jonathan in the 19 states officially announced so far by the INEC, excluding Rivers.
The winner of the presidential race must win more than 50 percent of all valid votes, plus a mandatory 25 percent in two-thirds of the country's 36 states.
If no candidate is able to win outright, the two frontrunners will compete for a simple majority in a runoff vote.
Aggrieved parties have 30 days from the election to legally challenge final poll results.
