Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacks the capacity to conduct credible elections in 2019.

The governor who stated this on Tuesday when he received the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Bernhard Schlagheck at the Government House in Port Harcourt appealed to international observers to stop the electoral body from rigging the polls by keeping tabs on electoral activities in the country.

“INEC does not have the capacity to hold free and fair elections. See what happened in Kano State. INEC says it wants to investigate the underage voting that took place last week. Who gave the children the voters’ cards? We will not allow anyone to manipulate the electoral system of the country,” Wike said.

The governor alleged that there was a plot being hatched by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to use INEC and security agencies to wreak havoc and sabotage the electoral process.

He further pleaded with the German Ambassador to see that the Federal Government remained committed to rehabilitating the Niger Delta region whose people, he said, were facing infrastructural and economic hardship.

Earlier in his speech, Mr. Schlagheck said he was in Rivers State as part of his familiarization tour of the Niger Delta region and commended Governor Wike for his strides in infrastructurel development.