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Tag: Peterside

  • Peterside calls for improved security

    Peterside calls for improved security

    The Director-General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, said insecurity had remained a major challenge to free and fair elections in Rivers State.

    Peterside stated this while speaking with newsmen shortly after voting at Unit 6, Ward 3 in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area during yesterday‘s re-run parliamentary election in the state.

    He also said hate speeches by politicians were other challenges to the conduct of elections in the state.

    He said that insecurity and hate speeches caused the low turnout of voters recorded in some local government areas in the Saturday election.

    Peterside, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2015 general elections in the state, called for improved security in future elections to enable the people exercise their franchise.

    He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for adopting accreditation and voting same option for the re-run election, saying that it made the exercise faster.

    “I believe it is a better process. This is a better process than the previous method of accrediting and going back home before one can vote.

    “But the politicians will not allow it to work. I can inform you that some politicians are always suspicious of each other, never having faith in the process,” he said.

     

     

  • Peterside condemns death of Major, others

    Peterside condemns death of Major, others

    Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in last year’s election Dr. Dakuku Peterside has condemned the death of a Major and two  soldiers at Abonnema, headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government.

    Peterside, who spoke in Port Harcourt, the state capital, noted that Governor Nyesom Wike and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were culpable in the tragedy because of what he described as their proclivity for provocative statements and threats to the citizenry and security officials.

    In a statement yesterday by his Special Assistant (Media), Sylvester Asoya, the APC chieftain said: “What has happened today reinforces our position on the conflagration capable of resulting from the hate speeches of Wike and members of the PDP.

    “How can this needless loss of life be explained on the eve of an election? Those responsible for these unnecessary deaths and violence in Rivers State have taken the state and the country for a ride for too long.

    “But we must not continue like this. This is a rerun election, not a war. We have watched in the last couple of weeks the governor’s utterances and instructions and we know that the fruits from his inciting speeches would be harvested in a matter of time. The world can now see the consequences of those statements.

    “I think this madness must stop. Even as we prepare for this rerun election, there is information making the rounds that over 3,000 boys have been imported into Abonema for Saturday’s elections from neighbouring Delta and Bayelsa states. This is where we find ourselves today; but we must all wake up and save Rivers State before it is too late.”

  • Peterside assumes duty at NIMASA

    Peterside assumes duty at NIMASA

    The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, assumed office in Lagos, yesterday.

    The NIMASA chief arrived the complex  at 11.45 am and moved to its boardroom for a a meeting with senior officials of the agency.

    He was received by the Executive Director, Maritime Labour, Cabotage and Maritime Services,  Mr Calistus Nwabueze Obi and other senior officials of NIMASA.

    Addressing workers, Peterside  thanked President Muhammadu Buharri for appointing him and said he was worried by the battered  image of the agency.

    He urged workers to join hands with him to redeem its name and achieve its core mandate.

    “I am here to introduce myself to my masters. I am sure you have a fair idea of my name. My name is Dakuku Peterside. From outside, people are saying that NIMASA has all it takes to achieve its core mandate. But  it seems to me that we have not been able to present ourselves well.

    “Therefore, we have some reputation or image issue to deal with. Discussing with the director of Administration and executive director, I understand that we have internal issues to deal with likewise the external,” he said.

    The NIMASA chief said a roadmap would be drawn to reposition the agency for greater efficiency and productivity.

    “I intend to have directorate and departmental briefings from April 5,” he said.

    Officials at the forum pledged to remain committed to the objectives for which the agency was set up and support the new chief.

    A senior official, who craved anonymity, said they were happy they have a young person as their director general.

    “ For over 40 minutes, he was receiving reports from the executive director and directors. It shows that the director general is youthful.  We have no doubt that the he will bring back sanity to our agency. Under Akpobolokemi, we lost our honour and our glory as a reputable government agency,” the official said.

     

  • Our expectations of Peterside, by stakeholders

    Our expectations of Peterside, by stakeholders

    The appointment of Dakuku Peterside as Director-General (DG) of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has sparked interest in the industry. Some stakeholders feel he has what it takes to do the job, others doubt his competence.

    Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) President Olayiwola Shittu and operators in the industry, who spoke with The Nation, said those against his appointment lacked the knowledge of his pedigree and qualifications.

    They urged the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, to prevail on Peterside to address some of the agency’s challenges.

    Some NIMASA workers, sources at the Federal Ministry of Transport said, have acquired reasonable maritime education to enable the agency discharge its core mandate of safety at sea.

    Peterside, a senior official who craved anonymity said, must ensure that the territorial waters cease to be the hiding place for unseaworthy vessels.

    Unsrcrupulous foreign vessel owners and operators, the official said, engage in illegal and unsafe activities on the waters and must be checked.

    “It is not just enough for the government to appoint the DG of NIMASA without telling him what  he needs to do to redeem the image of the organisation.

    “The new DG must be determined to work and we have no doubt about his ability to deliver on the core mandate of NIMASA,” the official said.

    Shittu told The Nation that Peterside needs to ensure “safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans by making use of the available human capacity that will effectively regulate vessels on the waters for sustained economic growth’’.

    “The report from World Maritime University (IMO) shows that since the inception of the IMO, there had been 946 African graduates in various fields of maritime. Of this number, 172 are Nigerians, making up a good percentage of the total number.

    ‘’For the International Maritime Law Institute, 224 Africans have graduated from the institution; of this number, 74 are Nigerians. Therefore, one can confidently say that the start-of capacities are available in the country. What remains for the new DG is to harness them.

    “My advice to him as somebody who wants to succeed is to establish a data base of graduates from the two institutions as a resource base that could be pooled to perform major tasks for the agency and the sector if, when and where necessary,” Shittu said.

    Investigation by The Nation, however, revealed that some of the trained NIMASA staff have been deployed to areas and departments that have nothing to do with their training despite the huge tax-payers money spent on them.

    “Serious attention”, Shittu said, should be given to this serious lacuna in the system by the new DG.

    “Peterside as the flag bearer of APC in Rivers State must demonstrate enough determination by ensuring that NIMASA as a critical player in the economic well-being of Nigerians promotes indigenous shipping business.

    “It is sad that some of the past DGs of the agency are suffering from sea-blindness in the sense that they do not appreciate the wealth creation opportunities abundant in the maritime sector. They literally walk on wealth without harnessing the opportunity,” Shittu said.

    Last Friday, workers resumed as early as 8 am on learning that Peterside may assume work that day.

    The workers trooped in large number despite the heavy traffic on Apapa road.

    The car park was almost full by 8.30am, an unusual development at the agency.

    Workers, who spoke with the paper, said they resumed early because of the information they got that Peterside does not tolerate tardiness.

  • How Peterside can succeed as NIMASA chief, by ex-minister Iheanacho

    How Peterside can succeed as NIMASA chief, by ex-minister Iheanacho

    • Indigenous ship Owners promise to support agency’s new head

    Former Minister of Interior Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho has advised the newly-appointed Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, to court indigenous ship owners.

    Iheanacho, who is the Chairman, Genesis Shipping Worldwide, spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    He added that indigenous ship owners would support Peterside.

    Ihenacho said: “It is our hope that he would concentrate his efforts in a genuine attempt to grow indigenous capacity through a judicious use of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF).”

    The mariner said the new director-general must make Cabotage provisions work.

    Iheanacho explained that Peterside would need to understand the difference and the distinction between the administrative responsibilities for the safety of shipping and security of the maritime environment.

    The mariner said: “Safety of shipping and its associated costs is a NIMASA function while the security of the marine environment is the responsibility of the Navy.”

    He said NIMASA should be refocused to carry out its core maritime industrial safety and local capacity development responsibilities,

    “while simultaneously demilitarising the outlook and presentation of the agency”

    “We welcome Mr Peterside as the director-general of NIMASA. He is a good man. We hope his appointment would mark the beginning of a positive change in the focus and administrative interventions of the agency(NIMASA),’’ Iheanacho told NAN.

  • Wike, Peterside draw battleline ahead of March 19 rerun in Rivers

    Wike, Peterside draw battleline ahead of March 19 rerun in Rivers

    Wike, Peterside draw battleline ahead of March 19 rerun in Rivers ria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to join his administration to develop the state. He also lauded the standard bearer of the APC in the state for approaching the judiciary, rather than resorting to violence or selfhelp. In obeying the judgments of the courts, INEC fixed February 6 for the legislative rerun in Rivers State, to be held for 22 of 32 state House of Assembly, 12 of 13 House of Representatives and the three Senatorial seats, but later shifted it to March 19, to avoid any hitch. State constituencies where election will not hold are Abua/Odual, Ahoada West, Etche One, Khana One, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika, Oyigbo, Port Harcourt One and Three. Ahoada West/Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni federal constituency is also not affected by the rerun. A total of 2,148,289 voters are expected to vote in the rerun, with only those that were registered before last year’s March 28 and April 11 general elections to be eligible to vote, while 6,806 card readers will be deployed, despite the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court judgment. Rivers new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Aniedi Ikoiwak, who was moved from Delta State, promised that the rerun in the state would be free, fair and credible, as earlier assured by INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu. But as the rerun date draws nearer, violence attacks by suspected cult gangs have increased in the state. A chieftain of the APC, Franklin Obi, was killed and beheaded by masked gunmen, who also killed his wife and 18-year-old son, Bestman. Until his gruesome murder at his residence on Rutachi Street, Omoku, Franklin Obi was the APC’s Chairman of Ward Four in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, the same ward with Rivers Chairman of the PDP (Chief Felix Obuah), who also hails from Omoku, the headquarters of the LGA. The gunmen, who were said to have disappeared into the dark of the night after carrying out their dastardly act, also went away with the head of Franklin. In Omoku last month, no fewer than 25 persons were killed, with many of them beheaded and their heads taken away (See Pages 13-16 for details of the killings in the state). Reacting to the killing, Rivers APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, said: “The killing of our Franklin Obi on Saturday night is shocking, to say the least. It goes to support what we long knew that the PDP members have been responsible for all the killings in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of Rivers State. “Make your own deductions, late Franklin Obi was the APC’s Ward 4 Chairman. He managed and moderated the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA APC’s meeting last Thursday in Omoku and by Saturday, he was killed and beheaded, while the wife and son were also killed. “The PDP’s Rivers State Chairman, Felix Obuah, comes from same Ward 4. Intelligent Nigerians should kindly make their deductions.” But, while reacting to the incident, the Rivers chairman of the PDP expressed shock and said he was saddened by the reckless killings in the state, especially in his hometown, describing the barbaric acts as condemnable and unacceptable. Obuah described the resurgence of killings in the state as abominable and sheer madness, wondering why all the entreaties by Wike to all the warring youths were being ignored. He urged the police to beef up security in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA and other parts of the state, as well as to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous acts and bring them to justice. He also admonished the police to step up their intelligence gathering in order to prevent further attacks and killings of Rivers people. “My heart goes out to those that lost their lives and loved ones,” Obuah said, and urged politicians to join hands with the state governor to keep the state peaceful and secure from the hands of criminals. The Rivers Chairman of the PDP assured that the party would continue to preach against violence and criminality in the state and would not support evil in whatever guise. The Rivers Commissioner of Police, Musa Kimo, while describing the violence as “very sad”, expressed sadness that the gunmen were seen in the neighbourhood before they carried out their evil act, but failed to report to the police. “I am here in Omoku this time on a sad note. It is sad in the sense that we are all bereaved. The governor (Nyesom Wike of the PDP), I and other security officers were in Omoku two weeks ago in search of peace. Unfortunately, violence has continued to pervade, dovetailing into kidnappings and murders. “I am here to commiserate with the deceased family and to re-strategise and put pungent security measures in place in order to forestall future occurrence,” Kimo said, while also assuring that the police were not relenting in ensuring that the persons behind the dastardly act were arrested and prosecuted. The APC has insisted that over 60 members of the party had been killed in different parts of the state in the last one month. Security agencies recently raided the home of jackrich, a PDP member in Buguma, with arms, ammunition and many Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) recovered, but the militant leader is being shielded from arrest and prosecution by top people in government, according to the Rivers chairman of the APC. Meanwhile, the Rivers commissioner of police, during a news conference at the police headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, disclosed that two suspects were being held for the killings in the state in the last one week. The police boss revealed that one Anthony Ugo was arrested for beheading Franklin Obi and the murder of his wife and son in Omoku, while Ndubisi Tochi was picked for clubbing and burning Ofinjite Amachree in Buguma. He condemned the renewed “senseless” killings in the state and vowed to ensure that the perpetrators were prosecuted. The two suspects, according to Kimo, were still being interrogated, hoping that they would assist in apprehending the rest of their gang and sponsors. “We must realise that violence is never and will never be a solution. While investigation is on, let me inform you that the command will bring to book the perpetrators of not only these killings, but similar incidents. “Let me plead for the support and cooperation of the public, by way of information to enable us to protect lives and property. Rest assured that any information volunteered will remain confidential. “It is also pertinent to inform you that I have placed all officers and men of the command on alert, to allay the fears of the public and to nip in the bud any security breach. Any peace-loving person is enjoined to go about his lawful business, without any fear of molestation.” Dr Peterside also expressed displeasure that the state had again been turned to a killing field, thereby urgently needing help. He decried the ongoing mass execution in Rivers State, describing it as frightening and unprecedented. The pathetic security situation in Rivers, according to Dr. Peterside, was unfortunately a direct affront on the Federal Government’s power to protect lives and property within its territory. The APC’s governorship candidate said: “The security situation in our dear Rivers State is distressing and we cannot continue to live under such a desperate situation. I am therefore using this opportunity to again draw the attention of the world to the daily killings taking place in Rivers State. “In the last two weeks, over 30 APC members have been killed in different parts of Rivers State. We are tired of this bloodbath. That is why we are calling on the Federal Government and Nigerians generally to come to our aid.   “As citizens of Rivers State, we know that this heart-rending situation is a fall-out of the loss of moral right by the Nyesom Wike-led government to fight criminality, having benefitted from their activities in the recent past, but these killings must stop and the time is now.”  The Rivers APC also stated that the killing of members of the party was part of the scare tactics of the PDP ahead of the March 19 legislative rerun. It noted that Wike had earlier stated that if the Court of Appeal’s annulment of his election was upheld by the apex court, so many people would have died in the state. Rivers APC said: “We are rather surprised that even with the affirmation of his (Wike’s) election by the Supreme Court, many people are already being killed by the PDP in Rivers State, because of the state and national legislative rerun elections scheduled for March 19.” But Governor Wike has in turn accused the leaders of the APC of planning to win the March 19 legislative rerun in the state at all costs, saying it is in order to impeach him. Wike, on March 5, as guest on a phone-in programme, Viewpoint, on Rhythm 93.7 FM, Port Harcourt, owned by a chieftain of the PDP, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, of the Commonsense Revolution, also alleged that APC leaders were chronic liars and mere propagandists. Wike said: “APC leaders are boasting that they will win at all costs, the Rivers House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senatorial elections, through the use of the military, police and Department of State Services (DSS). “APC candidates want to win all the Rivers House of Assembly seats, so as to impeach me. They want to get me out at all costs and they expect me to fold my arms. Nobody will be allowed to rig the elections. It will not happen. The political intimidation must stop. “The March 19 elections will be a test of democracy in Nigeria. We will confirm if the noise made by APC members that they won last year’s polls is true or not, especially their clamour for free, fair and credible elections.” The Rivers governor also insisted that he and members of his team had been putting in their best to transform and move the state forward, promising not to disappoint the people of the state.

  • Why Rivers govt must move against violence, by Peterside

    Why Rivers govt must move against violence, by Peterside

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has urged Governor Nyesom Wike to curb violence in the state.

    Peterside, in an article, titled ‘Politics and resurgence of violence in Rivers State’, bemoaned the resurgence of violence in the build-up to the re-run National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.

    The article said: “In the last two weeks, four events have occurred in the state to raise red flags relating to insecurity and electoral violence. The first was the slaughter of 24 persons in one day at Omoku in Ogba Egbema Ndoni LGA. The second was the attack on the military at Yeghe town in Gokana LGA by militant youths. The third was the burning down of the campaign office of Senator Magnus Abe at Bori, Khana LGA, by suspected political thugs. The last and perhaps most frightening was the attack on a bank and the engagement of citizens and the Police by robbers at the new GRA axis of Port Harcourt, crisscrossing all the way to Ikwerre Road.

    “That robbery and the shootout lasted for several hours on Wednesday, February 24, 2016. This renewed wave of violence is unprecedented in our history.

    “Like most states in Nigeria, Rivers State has always had some history of political violence since the 2003 general election. Nevertheless, what we are witnessing today is a dimension taken too far, especially before, during, and after the 2015 general election. It would appear that support for political violence as a means to win elections in Rivers State became the official policy of the party at the centre then. It has become worse with the judgment of the Supreme Court on the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition. That judgment seems to have inadvertently but tacitly given approval to a credo of get victory at all cost.

    “A number of reasons may be advanced why the state is now a hot bed of political violence. However, two rank highest in the equation. The first reason is the socio-economic outlook of the state traceable to and sustained by the activities of oil exploration companies and the peculiar geographical terrain of the delta. The perception that government and the oil companies have been unfair to the people and the environment of the host communities inevitably drew a battle line of ‘them versus us’.  Second, and more recently, violence in the state has been provoked mainly by the quest for power. Among politicians, there is a group, which obviously sees power as the only means of livelihood through access to the commonwealth.  It is obvious that some of the political actors of the 2015 electoral era in the state have actively sponsored, promoted and supported violence as a means to an end. The union of political violence and criminality has now gone full cycle in the state.

    “It is regrettable but true that in many communities in today cult gangs hold sway. They control the social and economic souls of the people, including traditional structures which have been rendered impotent. The cult gangs were armed by politicians in the build up to 2015 general election. Like Frankenstein monsters, they are now too powerful to those who armed them and had enjoyed pyrrhic benefits from their activities. The situation has so degenerated that nobody, including those who created the monsters, feels safe anymore. The physical landscape of the communities is painted with boys armed to the teeth and walking freely to the discomfort of citizens.

    “We are yet to feel the effect of any concrete action taken by the Nyesom Wike-led government to stem this worsening insecurity. A town hall meeting he held in Omoku on the urging of Andrew Uchendu degenerated into a display of power by way of suspending three local government Caretaker Committee chairmen and a strange order to security agents to kill suspected cultists . The aloofness of the government has promoted the view that it is behind the insecurity and reign of criminals in the state. Nothing challenges a government more than to lose the moral right to fight criminality. When a government fails in securing life and property, and does not show it is committed to fighting against those who threaten peace, the despair of the citizenry can best be imagined.

    “Today, the people are groaning under kidnapping, assassinations, robbery, political violence, gunrunning, harassment, and others. The question is how long are we going to live like this? It is most likely going to get worse with the re-run elections on 19 March. The warning signs are obvious.  Every day, stories of security breach dominate conversation. In such a situation, how might creative people generate business and other socio-economic ideas, or have the energy and will to see such ideas through?

    “The security agencies have their hands full. It is time for the government to make its commitment.”

  • Peterside, Kale, others mull diversification of economy

    Nigeria’s current economic position presents an opportunity to diversify the economy, invest in critical sectors and stimulate growth of the small and micro enterprises, stakeholders have said.

    This was the submission by a cross-section of experts at the 2016 Standard Bank West Africa Investors’ Conference, which held at the Expo Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos recently. The conference, now in its 7th edition,  with the theme, ‘Unlocking Nigeria’s potential…growth through diversification.’

    Chairman of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Mr. Atedo Peterside, in his welcome address, stated that the theme was partly derived from the government’s agenda for broadening revenue sources against the backdrop of lower commodity prices. Diversification of the economy has become imperative considering the growing needs of the populace for new jobs and other welfare packages that will help reduce poverty levels, he said.

    In his presentation, Dr. Yemi Kale, Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Statistics, frowned at the practice of describing the structure of the Nigerian economy in terms of government revenue source.”True, government revenue is dependent on the oil and gas sector but the economic structure of Nigeria is not solely dependent on oil and gas, albeit an important part. If you look at the recent revised national accounts, it is evident that oil value added has been negative for years now, and in fact it is the non-oil sector that had sustained the economy. This is not to say the oil sector doesn’t have indirect impact on the non-oil economy.”

    Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Mrs. Sola David-Borha, in her closing remarks, reiterated the need for the public and private sectors to work together to tackle the economic headwinds, especially with worrying predictions of imminent job losses and higher unemployment numbers.

  • Peterside, Umana, Emerhor, Yahaya promise to return states to APC

    Peterside, Umana, Emerhor, Yahaya promise to return states to APC

    The 2015 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidates in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta and Gombe on Tuesday promised to return their states to the ruling APC.

    The candidates: Umana Okon Umana (Akwa Ibom); Dakuku Peterside (Rivers); O’tega Emerhor (Delta) and Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe) made the promise in Abuja, while addressing State House Correspondents after consulting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    The candidates said they were not discouraged by the verdicts of the Supreme Court, which affirmed the elections of their PDP opponents.

    Umana said his party was reviewing the judgment, adding that there were two concurrent verdicts at the tribunal and Appeal Court, which ordered a rerun.

    But Dr Peterside said he had placed the Supreme Court verdict behind him and was focusing on the rerun for the three senatorial, 12 House of Representatives and 22 Assembly seats.

    He said all his party was asking for is a level-playing field from INEC and security agencies.

    “Now, we are going for elections and we believe INEC will be impartial and the security agencies will provide a conducive atmosphere for people to vote and their votes will count.’’

    He saidAPC represents the dreams and aspirations of the Rivers people and he was confident the party would win.

    Yahaya said the APC candidates came to share ideas with the Vice President on the lessons learnt from the legal system.

    He said chances were high for the APC to clinch Gombe in the next elections.

    “Everybody knows Nigerians, particularly from the North, has embraced change. Gombe is APC and will remain APC and we live to see in 2019 who will be there.’’

  • Peterside: Wike knew about Supreme Court judgment

    Peterside: Wike knew about Supreme Court judgment

    •APC wants to create confusion, says governor

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, yesterday raised doubts about the fairness of the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the election of Governor Nyesom Wike.

    He said Wike had a foreknowledge of the judgment —going by his actions and utterances.

    Dr. Peterside told a news conference in Port Harcourt that Wike’s threat to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was “unbecoming”.

    He also criticised Wike as lacking the moral right to speak in uncomplimentary terms about President Muhammadu Buhari and the military.

    Wike denied it all, saying the APC was trying to cause confusion.

    Peterside arrived at the party secretariat by 11:30 am with his running mate, Asita Honourable Asita, and some supporters.

    The Supreme Court gave its decision on the Rivers governorship election on July 27, promising to make the reasons known later.

    Peterside said that some of Wike’s actions and statements before and after the judgment are indicative of his foreknowledge of the judgment.

    He said: “Credible information confirmed that Nyesom Wike had earlier confessed to some persons of having met one of the Justices of the Supreme Court in Mbaise during an important burial, another at Owerri in a hotel and yet others in Dubai and Saudi Arabia respectively . These Justices were in the panel that decided the matter in Wike’s favour.

    “However, the most striking revelation by Nyesom Wike is contained in his account at the thanksgiving service last Sunday. He obviously stunned his audience and the watching world when he confessed that when it came to the Judges, Dr. Peter Odili and the wife Justice Mary Odili (a Justice of the Supreme Court) were his advisers.

    “This simply confirmed his earlier statements that he had contact with the Justices after several attempts to reach the Chief Justice of the country failed.It is therefore obvious that the decision of the Supreme Court on the Rivers State Election was not a product of justice but rather a product of compromise and orchestrated contrivance to legalise electoral violence and rigging and, in turn, reward injustice. This calls for serious introspection by our Judiciary and judicial officers.

    “For the records, in his speech at the church service, Governor Nyesom Wike probably forgot that he was on live telecast when he stated: ‘Let me thank our former governor, Dr. Peter Odili (husband of Supreme Court Justice Mary Odili). He will call me midnight to tell me what to do….he will say ‘go to so so place.’ I took all his advice, and here we are today’.

    “This shocking confession needs no further explanation, except for you and other decent Nigerians to further make your fair conclusions.”

    Peterside added that also at the thanksgiving service, Wike said as a result of the the judgment , “the apex court helped in preventing bloodshed in Rivers State.”

    ”Blood would have flowed if the election was going to hold again….So, I called some people, including the Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, that I was not going to run again. They said why and I explained that if I did, many people would die.”

    He added that “these voluntary confessions made by Governor Nyesom Wike confirm beyond doubt that he was obviously behind the orgy of violence during the last elections”.

    Speaking on Wike’s alleged violence threat, Peterside quoted the governor as saying: ”Anyone who plans to rig an election is an armed robber and should be treated as such. If you are coming to rig an election in the state, first prepare your will before embarking on the journey. Inform your wife or husband and go ahead to say your last prayer.

    ”We are not afraid of any re-run at all. But we have always said if they said there should be a re-run, let it be a re-run and not to write the result. Let them bring anybody as INEC official from anywhere that wants to be funny, I wish the person must have written his Will before he comes.”

    Peterside said: ”Wike promotes violence and believes so much in jungle justice but he forgets that such outlook does not have any place in a civilised society.”