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Tag: Rivers elections

  • Army faults INEC’s position on Rivers elections

    The Nigerian Army yesterday faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its adopted position on the governorship election in Rivers State.

    It maintained that the INEC failed to look at the circumstances that prompted military intervention during the conduct of the exercise and more so when it made a presentation to the INEC fact-finding committee during its visit to the State.

    In a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations in Charge of 6 Division, Col Aminu Iliyasu, the Army accused the Festus Okoye committee of lack of sincerity in its final report.

    Col Iliyasu said: “Headquarters 6 Division Nigerian Army (NA) have observed with dismay and sense of betrayal in the statement made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye Esq on 15 March 2019.

    “The statement according to INEC was the findings of its Fact-Finding Committee that assessed the situation in Rivers State.

    “It is, however, pertinent to note that, representatives of the 6 Division met with the Fact-Finding Committee on Tuesday, 12 March, 2019 at the INEC Headquarters in Port Harcourt and had honest discussions and made a written submission to aid the committee in its task.

    “Regrettably, none of the Division’s input from any of the findings of INEC has been made public. This clearly indicates lack of trust by an institution that the NA sacrifices so much to assist in the course of performing their role.

    “Genesis of the suspension of Governorship/State House of Assembly elections process in Rivers State

    “What INEC failed to mention or even consider is the fact that at about 10:30 pm on Saturday 9th March 2019, troops of 6 Division NA detailed at the outer perimeter of Obio/Akpor Local Government Headquarters Collation Center were brazenly attacked by Governor Wike’s security aides and armed thugs who stormed the collation center with the Governor in a convoy of more than 50 vehicles while collation of results was going on.

    “In the ensuing melee, Captain Adams Salami was shot at close range by the security aides of Governor Wike while Corporal Adeosun Adebayo was matcheted by Governor Wike’s thugs.

    “Both victims are currently receiving treatment at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) Intensive Care Unit and Military Hospital Port Harcourt respectively with life threatening injuries.

    “Thereafter, election materials were carted away and electoral officials abducted by the governor’s thugs to an unknown destination. This was made known to the INEC Fact-Finding Committee but INEC does not see it worth condemning or mention in its report.

    “Consequently, after due consultations and considerations between 6 Division and the Rivers State Police Command on Sunday the 10th of March 2019, the Rivers State Police Command, on their own, – took the initiative to invite the media to the hospitals where the two victims are receiving treatment and thereafter to host a press conference on the matter with the view to dissociate itself from the unprofessional conduct exhibited by their men attached to Wike and tell the public what disciplinary action the command will take or is already taking.

    “However, while the visit to the victims was accomplished and the two victims interviewed by the media, the press conference was aborted by the Police after journalists have been assembled.

    “Coincidentally, a rescheduled press conference on the matter was also aborted on Thursday the 14th of March 2019. Most disheartening is that while the Rivers State Police Command accepts the involvement of their personnel in the attack at Obio/Akpor LG Headquarters, till date those personnel have not at least been reprimanded.

    “To this end, – in the circumstance, – the 6 Division NA as a stakeholder in the 2019 General Elections takes exception to the lopsided and therefore unfair INEC report and is hereby strongly and totally rejected by the NA.

    “The Division is equally disappointed with the attitude exhibited by the Nigerian Police in this regard and hereby request the police leadership to commence full scale investigation of those security aides to Governor Wike that attacked troops at the Obio/Akpor LG Headquarters Collation Center and shot at Capt AA Salami with a view to appropriately sanction those found responsible/culpable. Until that is done, Headquarters 6 Division NA will have to review all existing joint activities with the Rivers State Police Command.”

  • APC seeks postponement of Rivers gov poll

    • Says Wike is jittery

    The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) in Rivers State, Chief Victor Giadom, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the February 16 and March 2 elections in Rivers in view of Monday’s ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt on stay of execution.

    He also accused Rivers Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike of being jittery upon confirmation the governorship candidate of APC in the state, Pastor Tonye Cole and other candidates that emerged through indirect primaries supervised by members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, would participate in the elections.

    Giadom stated these Tuesday in Port Harcourt in an exclusive interview with our reporter.

    While assuring Cole and other candidates of APC would emerge victorious in the polls, he maintained that postponing Rivers elections would ensure the candidates and the electorate were not disenfranchised.

    Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, who doubles as the Director of Information and Communications of PDP Campaign Council, however maintained that Wike and other candidates of the ruling party were neither afraid nor jittery of main opposition APC’s candidates or candidates of other political parties, having campaigned extensively and fully prepared for the polls, thereby emerging victorious.

    The appellate court presided over by Justice Ali Gumel granted the stay of execution of the judgment of Justice Kolawole Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on the fielding of candidates by the APC.

    Giadom, the immediate past Deputy National Secretary of APC, said: “Wike is jittery, because of the strength of APC in Rivers State. That is why he teamed up with some enemies of democracy to ensure that our party (APC) is not on the ballot, but God has put all of them to shame. Wike made all efforts, including outside the law, to stop APC from fielding candidates in Rivers State.

    “Wike and his allies must stop their propaganda and futile fights, but to prepare to meet candidates of APC in the field. APC will win 80 per cent of the votes cast in Rivers State in all the elections, because Rivers people are tired of Wike’s failed promises.

    “I expect Wike and other members of PDP in Rivers State to enjoy the healthy competition of political context, so as to know who are the choices of the people of Rivers State, as against the attempts by Wike to shut the doors against APC.

    “While thanking the judges of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt for granting the stay of execution of the judgment of Justice Omotoso, we urge INEC, as a law-abiding institution, to do the needful by postponing Rivers elections, to ensure a level-playing field and in order to allow candidates of APC to adequately campaign as their counterparts in other political parties, who have been campaigning round Rivers State’s 23 LGAs for over two months. The postponement will be in the interest of Rivers people, especially APC members.

    “I wish to urge Rivers people to believe in the APC, as the difference is very clear. We will continue to ensure quality leadership that will transform the entire Rivers State and ensure adequate protection of lives and property, thereby making the state a destination for investments.”

    Read Also: INEC to collate elections results manually

    The deputy governorship candidate also berated a governorship aspirant on APC platform, Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast) for misinterpreting the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, accusing him of mischief.

    Giadom declared that Abe, from the same Bera-Ogoni in Gokana LGA of Rivers, was being economical with the truth, stressing that the former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) in the administration of Rotimi Amaechi, now Transportation Minister, ought not to speak differently from what was contained in the ruling of the appellate court.

    He urged Nigerians to avail themselves with the ruling, in order not to be misled by individuals or groups, while calling on APC members and supporters in Rivers to take advantage of the ruling and return to active campaigns, so as to ensure victory in all the elections.

    The deputy governorship candidate assured that members of Rivers APC were ready to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and members of his campaign team in Port Harcourt next week.

    He said: “Rivers people should continue to support APC. We should ensure peaceful elections in Nigeria, especially in Rivers State. When Cole becomes governor and I as deputy governor, by God’s grace, Rivers State will experience massive transformation in all sectors. There will also be peace, security and commensurate development. We will bring back the lost glory of Rivers State.

    “The Federal Government is doing a lot in Rivers State, particularly the construction of Bodo-Bonny Road, Ogoni clean-up, completion of the international wing of Port Harcourt International Airport and massive construction of roads through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), among others. Wike’s propaganda should be ignored. Wike’s abysmal performance will end on May 29, 2019.”

    Giadom also called on Nigerians to continue to support the Buhari’s administration and come out en-masse on February 16 to vote for him and other candidates of the party in all the elections.

  • INEC helpless over Rivers’ result – Jega

    INEC helpless over Rivers’ result – Jega

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Tuesday said his agency was helpless in the face of calls for the cancellation of some election results.

    Foreign and local election observers, including civil society organisations (CSOs) have queried the credibility of results of last governorship and House of Assembly elections in Abia, Akwa-Ibom and Rivers States.

    Specifically, a coalition of CSOs – the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room – in its post-election analysis on April 13, said reports submitted by its members, who monitored elections in the three states, revealed that the elections were “lacking in credibility and fraught with irregularities.

    It expressed concern “about the overall conduct of the elections in the three states because there are grounds to question the credibility of the elections results.”

    The Situation Room urged INEC to urgently take steps to authenticate the final collated results from the three states against the polling unit results and make a reasoned judgment about them.

    But Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at a dialogue session put together by the Situation Room, Jega justified why his commission could not cancel election results from the states as being requested by many.

    He blamed this on some inadequacies in the Electoral Act.

    Jega decried the fact that the national office of INEC in Abuja has weak control over the state offices, noting that Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), currently wield enormous powers owing to the inherent lacunas in the Electoral Act.

    He noted that once a Returning Officer declares any election result, “whether the result is false or doctored, there is nothing else we can do about it than to ask the candidates to go the tribunal to challenge such result.

    “There is nothing in the legal framework that gives the INEC Chairman the power to cancel results from anywhere over alleged irregularities. We have no power to cancel elections results once returns have been made.”

    He said his commission also lacked sufficient evidence to support claims about irregularities in the Rivers’ election.

    “On the petition against election irregularities in Rivers State, the commission sent three national commissioners to the state to investigate it. Some people don’t want elections to hold, they are the ones calling for cancellation. We investigate the allegation of fake result sheets in Rivers, our reports showed that there was nothing like that,” Jega said.

    He said there was no way INEC could have successfully conducted the run-off election within seven days as provided for in both the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

     

  • Averting violence in Rivers elections

    Averting violence in Rivers elections

    The governorship battle in Rivers State has assumed a violent dimension. Party supporters have been dispersed, maimed and killed by bombs at rallies. What is responsible for the mayhem? All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said that the violence underscored the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) desperation for power in the oil-rich state. PDP leaders have denied the allegation, saying that it is a fabrication. The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, who visited the victims in hospitals, has vowed to bring the culprits to book. Stakeholders are worried that the March 28 election may be marred by violence. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

    It was a day the people of Okrika, Rivers State, will not forget in a hurry. Suspected thugs invaded the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally, flogging, beating, and wounding supporters. The crowd dispersed abruptly. There was stampede. Many vehicles were damaged. Campaign materials, including banners, posters and billboards, were destroyed. The podium was pulled down. Scores of supporters did not live to relieve the experience. The survivors are still in pain in hospitals trying to overcome the shock.

    “It was a peaceful gathering, but suddenly, the thugs came in large numbers with big sticks, broken bottles, cutlasses and guns. We started running. They started beating people,” said Ahiamadi Austin, a victim. “We can blame the police for the mayhem. We can blame the police for denying APC members protection. Police is partisan in Rivers,” he added.

    Another victim, Sorbari Npebee, who was hit by bullets, narrated his ordeal. He said the attack was unprovoked, stressing that it smacked of intolerance by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “PDP and APC are holding rallies in this state. But, only APC rallies are disrupted and only APC members are attacked,” he said, adding that the peace accord signed by leaders of the two main parties have not worked.

    A chieftain of APC and former local government chairman lamented what he described as politics with bitterness in the Southsouth state. He said: “It is not by force. All of us cannot be in the same party. You say your own and I say my own. The people will decide who to vote for. This approach will not work. Violence is not the solution.”

    Beatice Deemug, one of the victims, is not even a party sympathiser. She was hit by bullet on the road. Narrating her experience, she said: “There are many casualties beyond the imagination of people. I was not at the rally. I was just going on the road when I was shot. I landed in the hospital.”

    Kennedy Friday is a Supervisory Councillor in Port-Harcourt Council. He was one of the mobilisers for the rally. Decrying the mayhem, he said the scars will not fade away for long. “People were ambushed by thugs. The bus rammed into the bush and crashed. Many people were injured. The rally itself was disrupted. Can’t we hold rally again? It is unfortunate,” he fumed.

    What bothered Basu Nkpobee, another victim, was the aloofness of the police. He lamented that thugs were not in a hurry to carry out their nefarious assignment with the speed of lightening. Nkpobee said the arsonists behaved as if they owned the state. “Cars were being burnt at will and human beings were beaten to coma. There was commotion. People take to their heels. The crowd was huge. So, you could imagine what would have happened under that situation. They succeeded in truncating the rally. But, our spirit cannot be cowed,” he said.

    Information Commissioner Mrs. Ibim Seminetari, who decried the violence, also described it as an unprovoked attack. She said the barbaric attitude was embarrassing, adding that it may give the state a bad name. “Thugs were chasing people, hacking them down, flogging them, pulling down campaign podiums, harassing APC leaders in their homes. These are condemnable,” she said.

    The APC governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, is worried by the turn of events. He said electoral violence has now become the greatest challenge in Rivers State, adding that anarchy was looming. “Thirty seven people have been killed across the state,” he lamented. The House of Representatives member added: “The situation is the greatest test to the sanctity of the electoral process. The security situation is degenerating on daily basis.”

    Since the PDP was seized by crisis, the state has not known peace. The crisis reached a peak when prominent PDP chieftains, led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). When five out of 32 members of the House of Assembly attempted to remove the Speaker, other 27 members who protested the move were dispersed by the police. The former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, was alleged to have worsen the situation when he took side with PDP leaders.

    APC Chairman Chief Daveis Ikanya has alleged that the PDP governorship candidate and former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, was behind thuggery in the state. The PDP has denied this, saying that the onus of proof is on him.

    Ikanya, who has catalogued attacks on APC members, said the mayhem started when buses conveying supporters to the APC presidential campaigns in Port Harcourt, the state capital, were riddled with bullets. He said the police attributed the incident to armed robbery. However, masked gun men also attacked APC members in Degema and Sakpenwa, leaving victims in a pool of blood. Also, in Oro-Owo, Rumueme, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, a party chief, Orerehim, an engineer, and other party members were beaten by thugs. The engineer was seriously injured. Ikanya said, lthough the incident was reported at Rukpakani Police Station, the police refused to investigate it.

    The party chairman also recalled that on January 11, some monarchs were instigated by the PDP to remove APC posters and billboards in Rumuolumuni. When an APC chieftain, Hon. Kingsley Emenike, protested the action, he was beaten up by thugs. The same scenario was enacted in Ogu/Bolo Council. But, in Tumuwike, the thugs invaded the residence of Cyprian Chukwu, a lawyer and a member of APC, destroying valuable properties.  in Ward 9 destroying valuable properties.

    However, Ikanya said that the Okrika incident was most shocking. He said thugs invaded the rally with guns and explosive devices, destroying the public address system, canopies, podium and chairs.

    Decrying the role of the police, the politician said: “Most of these heinous crimes have been aided and abetted by the police. In some cases, they simply looked the other way while the crimes were committed. In some others, they arrested the complainants and APC supporters on phantom charges just to neutralize the influence of the APC in the area.” Ikanya said, instead of taking decisive actions, the police has been harassing, intimidating, arresting and detaining APC members.

    He also listed , what he described as cases of brutality by the police. The party chairman said: “In Omuma Local Government Area, Hon. Emeka Wogu, a former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, a former Commissioner and Chairman of Omuma Local Government Caretaker Committee, was arrested and accused of shooting at Mr. President’s billboard. On that day, 25th August, 2014, he was at Joint Allocation Committee meeting in Port Harcourt. He was nowhere near Omuma Local Government Area. He arrested on the 27th August, 2014 by over 60 armed policemen in a commando style, handcuffed in the presence of his children, and detained for two days.

    “In Soku Community, five APC supporters were arrested on November 28, last year, on spurious allegations of sea piracy held up in SARS. Only one was released while others are still facing incarceration. In Ahoada East Local Government Area, Mr. Grant Otis Ideozu, the APC party agent for Prison Barracks Unit 6, ward 4, Ahoada East Council,  was arrested on December 5, last on the allegation that he had an altercation with someone at the unit during the collection of the PVCs. He was beaten up and locked up for days, transferred to Port Harcourt for further detention and released on the 13th December, 2014 without a single complaint by anybody.

    “In Emuoha Local Government Area, Hon. Gowon Emma Wokea, a former Councilor and an APC stalwart in Ibaa, Emuoha Local Governmen,t was arrested on the 10th December, 2014 at Rukpokwu. They alleged that APC bought guns for Mr. Wokea and other APC supporters.

    “In Akuku Toru Local Government Area, Stanley Don Pedron, Ngoye Briggs and Sunny Ereme were arrested on “suspicions of having capacity to cause problems.” All arrests were to pave the way for the PDP to have an edge over the APC during collection of PVCs in the area.

    In Omuma Local Government Area, Hon. Justice Nwogu was arrested at Rukpokwu over framed up charges of illegal possession of firearms and attempted murder because he had a squabble with PDP members. In Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Mr. Pius Wosu, APC Ward 16 Chairman in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area was arrested and detained on on a trumped-up charge of malicious damage of the PDP billboard for two weeks.

    “On January 15, in Ward 5, Oyigbo Local Government Area, where PDP supporters removed posters of APC candidates, APC members led by the Ward Chairman, Monday Omezuruike, protested. The Chairman was arrested and detained in Afam police division.”

    Ikanya added: “As the general elections draw near, the magnitude and intensity of the orchestrated violence against members of the APC are assuming a frightful dimension. Our plight is akin to that of a people in a militarily conquered and occupied territory. PDP thugs and hirelings practically commit murders under the watchful and protective eyes of the police. The objective being to antagonise and intimidate our supporters into believing that it is unsafe for them to come out and vote, thus effectively disenfranchising them.”

    The Assistant-Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, who visited some of the victims in hospitals, promised to investigate the mayhem and bring culprits to book.

    Peterside, who condemned the attacks, said that the people are ready to resist intimidation. “They are attacking the APC because they know that we are wining. But, the people will refuse to be cowed. Votes will count in Rivers State. We will vote and defend our voted. It is not optional. We are wining. I don’t waste my time on anything that is not viable. APC will win the poll.”