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Tag: Rivers State

  • I didn’t pay N200m for AAC’s Yeeh to defect, says Wike

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike on Monday denied insinuations he induced the deputy governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with N200million.

    Governorship candidate of the AAC Biokpomabo Awara had alleged Wike paid N200m to Yeeh, who resigned and joined the PDP on Monday.

    Wike, who spoke through the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, described the N200 million allegation as untrue.

    Okah said: “The allegation that Govermor Wike gave AAC’s deputy governorship candidate (Yeeh) N200 million is not correct, it is untrue and it is absolute nonsense.

    Read also: My life in danger, says Rivers AAC gov candidate

    “Chief Yeeh is a respected elder from Ogoni Kingdom and his action by removing himself from being used to destabilise Rivers State and cause pain to the people is commendable.

    “Everything is not about money, as there are lots of good people around.

    “We should commend him (Yeeh) for taking the bold and historic step, instead of calling him names.

    “Future generations of our people will remember the moral lesson of his present actions.”

  • Man, 31 remanded in Prison for robbery

    A chief Magistrates Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has ordered the remand in prison custody of 31-year-old man, Yusuf Lawan for alleged armed robbery.

    The suspect and others presently at large allegedly robbed one Chief Seleipiri Bob-Manuel of his belongings valued at N810,000 while armed with matchetes and Kitchen knives.

    A document obtained from the court alleged that the suspect and his accomplices dispossessed their victim of his 42″ plasma LG television valued at N350,000, Samsung S+8 phone valued at N250,000, Samsung S+6 phone valued at N200,000 and a DSTV decoder valued at  N10,000.

    Read also: Man stabs cousin to death over N500

    The two-count charge of armed robbery levelled against him was not read out to him; the court apparently lacks jurisdiction to hear the matter which according to the criminal code falls within the capital offence charge, hence he did not take plea.

    The offence was committed on March 5, 2019 at Woji community area of Obio/Akpor Local Governmnet Area of the state.

    The presiding chief Magistrate,  Sokari Andrew-Jaja ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison custody and his original case file be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.

    The chief Magistrate later adjourned till April 22 for report of DPP advice.

     

  • Rivers: INEC to resume collation of election  results 

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed April 13 for supplementary election in  Rivers State.

    Besides, the commission is to resume collation of results of the last governorship and state Assembly elections from April 2 to 5.

    INEC, however, noted that election had been concluded in 21 state constituencies.

    The collation of the results for the election held on March 9 was suspended due to violence.

    The Commission set up a Fact-Finding Committee that visited the state and submitted its report which revealed that while election could not hold in a few areas, they were successfully concluded in others with the declaration of winners in 21 state constituencies. Collation was ongoing at the time of the suspension of the process.

    Announcing the outlined activities and timeline to resolve the electoral logjam in the state, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the commission will on March 30 meet with critical actors in the state after which the headquarters of the commission will release a guideline for the continuation of the process.

    Okoye spoke at a press briefing at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. He noted that there will also be an inter-agency meeting between the commission and others a day before the stakeholders meeting in Rivers.

    Revalidation of observers, the commission said, will be done simultaneously in Abuja and Rivers State between March 25 and March 31.

    The state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disagreed over the new timeline given by INEC to conclude elections in the states.

    The APC, through its Publicity Secretary Chris Finebone declared that INEC’s announcement was suspect and received with mixed feelings, since the electoral commission had not shown sufficient good faith.

    PDP Chairman Felix Obuah , in a press statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam stated that members of the party received the INEC’s news with optimism.

    Rivers APC said: “As a major stakeholder in the Rivers State political space, APC received with mixed feelings, INEC’s timeline for concluding the governorship and House of Assembly elections that started on March 9. INEC has not shown sufficient good faith in the way it brought the collation to an abrupt stop (on March 10), without cogent, verifiable and convincing reasons.

    “The supposed umpire (INEC) went ahead to announce that collation for 17 local government areas (out of 23 LGAs in Rivers) had been concluded, as against the records provided by our situation room. And to make matters worse, INEC refused, failed or neglected to name the said 17 LGAs where it claimed collation had been concluded.

    “INEC curiously announced that it had dropped four LGAs’ collation officers confirmed to be PDP card-carrying members, without the umpire clearing the air about the status of the LGAs’ results the four ad hoc personnel supposedly collated.”

    The main opposition APC, which backed the African Action Congress (AAC), since court order did not allow it to present candidates for the elections, also wondered why the four indicted collation officers of INEC would be unfit for the job, while the collations they conducted were acceptable.

    The party said: “Why is INEC jittery to name the 17 local government areas, if not for the simple reason that some underhand dealings might have taken place, for which it is covering up? With the violation of the collation process by Governor Nyesom Wike when he stormed the Obio/Akpor LGA Collation Centre (at the council’s secretariat in Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt in the night of March 9), where his Chief Security Officer (CSO) and security detail shot an army captain and other soldiers in the process, why does it seem that INEC’s body language is suggesting that Obio/Akpor LGA’s collation has been completed?

    “To the APC, INEC is up to some mischief, clearly pointing to a clear determination to rig the overall results of the March 9 elections in favour of Wike and the PDP. The signs are visible enough to the blind and loud enough to the deaf. All the shenanigans so far exhibited by INEC only go to confirm that fear.”

    PDP chairman said: “Even though we frown at the length of the timeline issued by INEC for the collation, declaration and conclusion of the election process in Rivers State, we received the news with optimism. Rivers State PDP is waiting patiently for the process to be concluded, because the people of Rivers State overwhelmingly voted for our party.

    “We urge Rivers people to remain calm, as the mandate they freely gave to Governor Wike and the PDP on March 9 will be affirmed at the end of the collation process. Victory for the PDP will come at the end of the exercise. Rivers State is PDP. The people massively voted for the PDP, as all the figures indicate.”

    On the letter by Rivers elders to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in Rivers political crisis, to prevent anarchy, Obuah berated the eminent personalities, including a former governor of the state, Chief Rufus Ada-George; and an ex- Culture Minister Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas.

    He described Ada-George, Graham-Douglas and others as self-acclaimed elders and card-carrying members of the APC, who, according to him, were allegedly working for Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, a former Rivers governor.

     

  • APC, PDP disagree on INEC’s new timelines for Rivers

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have disagreed over the new timelines by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Rivers State Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    Rivers APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, on Thursday in Port Harcourt, declared INEC’s announcement was suspect and received with mixed feelings, alleging the electoral commission had not shown good faith.

    But Rivers chairman of PDP, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, however, said members of the party received the INEC’s news with optimism.

    Rivers APC said: “As a major stakeholder in the Rivers State political space, APC received with mixed feelings, INEC’s timeline for concluding the governorship and House of Assembly elections that started on March 9.

    “INEC has not shown sufficient good faith in the way it brought the collation to an abrupt stop (on March 10), without cogent, verifiable and convincing reasons.

    “The supposed umpire (INEC) went ahead to announce that collation for 17 local government areas (out of 23 LGAs in Rivers) had been concluded, as against the records provided by our situation room. And to make matters worse, INEC refused, failed or neglected to name the said 17 LGAs where it claimed collation had been concluded.

    “INEC curiously announced that it had dropped four LGAs’ collation officers confirmed to be PDP card-carrying members, without the umpire clearing the air about the status of the LGAs’ results the four ad hoc personnel supposedly collated.”

    The main opposition APC, which backed the African Action Congress (AAC), since court order did not allow it to present candidates for the elections, also wondered why the four indicted collation officers of INEC would be unfit for the job, while the collations they conducted were acceptable.

    APC in Rivers said: “Why is INEC jittery to name the 17 LGAs, if not for the simple reason that some underhand dealings might have taken place, for which it is covering up?

    “With the violation of the collation process by Governor Nyesom Wike when he stormed the Obio/Akpor LGA Collation Centre (at the council’s secretariat in Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt in the night of March 9), where his Chief Security Officer (CSO) and security detail that shot an army captain and other soldiers in the process, why does it seem that INEC’s body language is suggesting that Obio/Akpor LGA’s collation has been completed?

    “To the APC, INEC is up to some mischief, clearly pointing to a clear determination to rig the overall results of the March 9 elections in favour of Wike and the PDP. The signs are visible enough to the blind and loud enough to the deaf. All the shenanigans so far exhibited by INEC only go to confirm that fear.”

    But the PDP chair said: “Even though we frown at the length of the timeline issued by INEC for the collation, declaration and conclusion of the election process in Rivers State, we received the news with optimism.

    “Rivers State PDP is waiting patiently for the process to be concluded, because the people of Rivers State overwhelmingly voted for our party.

    “We urge Rivers people to remain calm, as the mandate they freely gave to Governor Wike and the PDP on March 9 will be affirmed at the end of the collation process.

    “Victory for the PDP will come at the end of the exercise. Rivers State is PDP. The people massively voted for the PDP, as all the figures indicate.”

  • Soldiers recall night of horror in Rivers

    They recall the night with fear. A routine job of guarding an election results collation centre suddenly turned bloody for two soldiers.

    Doctors are battling to save the lives of Capt. Adams Salami and Corp. Adeosun Adebayo of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, who were on guard duty on March 9 at the collation centre in Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Secretariat, Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. A crowd of thugs descended on the place, shooting. The soldiers were hit.

    Capt. Salami and Corp. Adebayo are on the danger list in hospitals.

    With the invaders was Governor Nyesom Wike (the soldiers alleged), who has dismissed it all as a joke peddled by “clowns”.

    The soldiers spoke to reporters from their beds in Military Hospital on Aba Road, Port Harcourt and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

    The 6 Division’s Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, in a telephone interview yesterday evening, described the “unprovoked shooting” of the soldiers as “very sad and quite barbaric”.

    The three agents of African Action Congress (AAC) during the March 9 collation at Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat, Dr. Lawrence Chuku, Chikordi Dike and Chief Alex Wele, also claimed that Wike led over 200 thugs to abduct and beat them up.

    They were later dropped off his (Wike’s) vehicle, but went with the LG’s Electoral Officer (EO), a woman, the result sheets and other electoral materials.

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edwin Oludi, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify Wike for invading the collation centre with thugs, abducting the EO and others and hijacking result sheets and other electoral materials, contrary to the Electoral Act.

    Another APC chieftain, Ike Chinwo, insisted that no collation of results had been done at the secretariat, prior to the invasion, stressing that the hall was under lock and key. The EO sat in the office of the LG Chairman, Solomon Eke, before she was taken away, he said.

    Captain Salami said: “At about 23.00 hours (on March 9, after the governorship and House of Assembly elections, we got information that hoodlums were trying to invade the Obio/Akpor LG collation centre. So, we were asked to provide security in that area, which we did, in liaison with policemen posted there. We agreed that there would be limited access into the premises.

    “Five minutes later, to my surprise, the Rivers governor’s convoy came in (into Obio/Akpor LG council secretariat) with about 30 to 40 cars with hoodlums and thugs. Some were in police uniform, shooting sporadically within the premises. As usual, we decided to step back. I was pleading with them, as a soldier, to resolve the matter amicably.”

    Corp. Adebayo said: “I was deployed in Obio/Akpor LG collation centre and the crowd was too much. So, we had to reduce the crowd. It was then that the policemen in the governor’s convoy started mobbing us and hitting us with their weapons. I could not figure out the reason, because nobody asked anybody any question. The policemen were hitting us with the nozzles of their riffles.”

    The three collation agents of AAC, who are chieftains of APC, but decided to work for AAC, since APC had no candidates for the governorship and House of Assembly elections, also narrated their near-death experiences to reporters in Port Harcourt.

    Dike, the leader of APC in Obio/Akpor, who is also a former Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, said: “I am the collation agent for AAC in Obio/Akpor LGA. As an agent of the party, after the elections on that day (March 9), we proceeded to the collation centre, which is Obio/Akpor LG council secretariat. While we were in the council secretariat, wards’ INEC officers were bringing their results. Different wards’ INEC officers were coming to the LG council, though it was late; between 11 p.m. and 12 midnight.

    “We had the presence of Nigeria Police inside the LG council secretariat while the military personnel were outside the council secretariat, at the gate, providing protection for the collation centre. Surprisingly, the Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom Wike, came with over 200 fully-armed persons. Some were wearing army uniform, some were wearing police uniform and some were in mufti. Their vehicles were over 100. They stormed the LG council secretariat.

    “Before he (Wike) came, the Electoral Officer for Obio/Akpor LG was inside the council, at the LG council Chairman’s office. The governor came and invaded the place. His men were shooting and everybody was scampering for their lives. In the process, I was abducted by Rivers governor, alongside with Chief Alex Wele and Dr. Lawrence Chuku. Also abducted was the Electoral Officer for Obio/Akpor LG. He (Wike) then carted away all the electoral materials.”

    Narrating his own ordeal, Chuku, a former Chairman of Obio/Akpor LG council, who was Wike’s deputy when he (Wike) was chairman of Obio/Akpor LG council, described the experience as “highly traumatising and very horrible”.

    Chuku said: “As party agents, we arrived at the collation centre, which is Obio/Akpor LG council headquarters before collation started. When we got there, we noticed that the collation centre was locked. Some wards’ INEC officers that had come in were only hanging around, probably waiting for collation to begin.

    “The Electoral Officer and the Collation Officer were at Obio/Akpor LG Chairman’s Office and we were waiting for the collation to begin, when Rivers governor and his men invaded the collation centre. We heard gunshots from the main gate and, suddenly, the governor’s convoy came in.

    “Later, after our abduction and carting away of electoral materials to an unknown destination, we were dropped off at Rumuola, Port Harcourt at about 1 a.m. by Rivers governor himself. We now heard that the military men that were posted to safeguard lives and property within the perimeter of Obio/Akpor LG council secretariat were manhandled.

    “So, there was no collation in Obio/Akpor LGA on March 9. There was no single collation of any result from any ward, because we are the authentic agents of the party. We are calling on INEC to discountenance whatever result anybody will bring in.”

    Wele said on March 9 at Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Secretariat, while he and other collation agents of AAC were waiting at the venue, for the collation to commence, they were exchanging pleasantries across party lines, but later heard that Rivers governor was coming with his entourage.

    Wele said: “It was like a war situation. I was thoroughly beaten and my AAC’s agent’s tag was torn.”

    Rivers State commissioner for Information and Communications Emma Okah, who doubles as the Director of Information and Communications of the PDP Campaign Council, described the  leaders of AAC and APC as clowns.

    Okah said: “No such thing (invasion on Obio/Akpor LG council secretariat by Wike and thugs) happened. The APC and their ally, the AAC, failed in the elections. They are doing everything possible to divert attention from their shameful failure. Why would anybody abduct them? Of what use is their abduction? To gain what?

    “They should bury their heads in shame that they were moving with soldiers to thwart the wishes of their people. How can people who were moving with heavily-armed soldiers and supervising rigging of elections, also be abducted?”

  • Peterside, Etomi, Okocha, Wigwe, others worried over Rivers

    A group of concerned citizens and stakeholders of Rivers State have expressed shock  over the violent incidents that characterised elections in the Southsouth state.

    They flayed the loss of lives, especially youths in some communities.

    Welcoming the setting up of probe panel by the Army to investigate the conduct of its personnel, the concerned citizens in statement, said:  “We do not believe that elections which are designed to enable the people choose their leaders should lead to their death instead. Therefore, every single death must be investigated and the culprits brought to justice.

    “Whilst we cannot and should not stop the Nigerian Army or indeed any professional body from reviewing the conduct of its own personnel, we hereby call for a judicial commission of inquiry to be speedily set up by the Federal Government to secure a broader thorough, professional and unbiased inquiry into the massive loss of lives which occurred before, during and after the elections in Rivers State.”

    Those who signed the statement are: Atedo Peterside, George Etomi, Tein George, Emmanuel Georgewill, John Azuta Mbata, O.C.J. Okocha and Herbert Wigwe.

    They said they were deeply troubled by the inability of the political leaders in the state to manage their rivalries and differences within acceptable norms of a civilised society as has been done in several other states in the country.

    It said Rivers State comprises many ethnic groups which have largely lived in harmony since its creation.

    The statement  added: “Random killings are bad enough, but where patterns are discernible and some communities become angry because they hold others responsible for the needless loss of lives in their own immediate vicinity the potential exists for a general and more troubling breakdown of law and order.

    “Our fear now is that, if not checked immediately, the escalating cycle of violence will drive away investors and investments thereby leaving our people impoverished.

    “Rivers State hosts some of Nigeria’s critical oil and gas facilities and it is crucial that we do not inadvertently encourage a return to pre-amnesty acts of vandalism and destruction that could send the national economy into a tailspin.

    “We therefore urge all indigenes of Rivers State who are engaged in politics and their Political Parties to act with restraint at all times and avoid utterances that may further inflame passions.

    “We are willing to work with sincere and responsible stakeholders and all genuine friends of Rivers State (who understand and agree that Rivers lives also matter) to find a lasting solution to the problems that have bedevilled the State of recent.”

  • Wike: killers will be brought to justice

    RIVERS State Governor Nyesom Wike has vowed to probe the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad whose personnel allegedly killed a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent, Dr. Ferry Gberegbe.

    Gberegbe was killed in Khana Local Government Area during the governorship election.

    The governor, who announced a N200 million scholarship for the deceased’s four children, told the widow to open bank accounts for each child.

    The governor led leaders in the state on a condolence visit to the family of the slain lecturer.

    He said: “We will set up a judicial commission of inquiry to ensure that the culprits are brought to justice. It is unfortunate that F-SARS killed the PDP collation agent.

    “The government will give the deceased’s children scholarships. Their mother should open dedicated accounts for each of them. The government will pay N50 million to each of the four children for their education.”

    Wike, who decried the shooting at the Khana collation centre, where Gberegbe was PDP collation agent, lamented that the shots caused his death.

    “Instead of allowing people to choose who will represent and govern them, the security agencies prefer to kill us.

    “He died in the course of defending the PDP. He died in the course of defending democracy. I assure the family that those who killed him will not go free”.

    The governor said the late Gberegbe remained committed to the PDP even on his sick-bed, maintaining that the deceased sent him a text message, saying he would be happy when Wike is declared winner of the election.

    The governor said the government would also build a house for the deceased’s family and participate in his burial.

    PDP National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus said the deceased was a victim of the calculated oppression of the oil rich states by the Army and the F-SARS.

  • Army faults INEC position on Rivers State guber elections

    The Nigerian Army on Monday faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over the position it adopted regarding the governorship election in Rivers State.

    It maintained that the INEC failed to look at the circumstances surrounding its 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, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, the Army accused the Festus Okoye committee of lack of sincerity in its final report.

    Colonel 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 form any of the findings of INEC as 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 2 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 2 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.”

     

  • INEC indictment: Apologise to Nigerians, Frank tells Buratai

    Following the indictment of the military for their role in the governorship and state Assembly election, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, wants the Chief of Army staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai, to  tender a public apology to Nigerians.

    Reacting to a statement credited to the INEC on Saturday expressing displeasure over the role played by armed military personnel during the Rivers state governorship election, Frank said he had been vindicated.

    He said he had  earlier raised an alarm calling on the military authorities to be neutral before the election, adding that instead of the security agency to heed his call, “Buratai and his co-politicians in military uniform disregarded it and tagged him as a “Protagonist of Fake News.”

    While describing the military’s involvement in the 2019 general elections as shameful, Frank said if the likes of Buratai and his cohorts are tired of wearing military uniforms “they should form a political party or publicly register as a department under the APC.”

    He challenged the military to name just one country in Africa or the entire world where their colleagues have brazenly taken sides during elections “like what Nigeria witnessed in both the presidential, National Assembly and governorship elections?

    Read Also: Ijaw youths to Buratai: call your men to order

    “In 2015, there was no reported case of an active involvement of military personnel during the general elections. Although, that was the last time Nigeria had a civilian President who had respect for democracy and the rule of law.

    “Therefore, the honest declaration by the INEC regarding the involvement of military under Buratai in the Rivers State governorship election is a shame and I deserve apology from the Nigerian Army for tagging me as a “Protagonist of Fake News.

    “Evil, they say, can only succeed when good people refuse to talk. As far as Nigeria is concerned, I and other likeminds shall not be intimidated or forced into a conspiracy of silence in the face of oppression – which the Nigerian military under Buratai is reputed for”

  • Rivers Guber: PDP urges INEC to declare Wike winner

    Following the results of the fact finding committee set up by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate the manifest disruption of the collation of the results of the 9th March 2019 Governorship and House of Assembly general elections, the state PDP has called on INEC to announce its candidate as winner of the election.

    This is contained in the statement by the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah, and made available to the Nation on Saturday.

    The Rivers State PDP said it has accepted the pronouncements INEC made, after receiving the report of the fact finding committee, as substantial representation of the true state of the electoral process before the suspension.

    According to the statement, “After a thorough and holistic review of the report and findings of its Committee, INEC has in a release on the night of Friday 15th March 2019 made three fundamental verdictson the elections in Rivers State, as follows:

    “It has the complete collated results of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in 17 local Government Areas of the State in safe custody;

    “21 out of 32 State constituency results of the State had already been declared and returned as elected prior to when it suspended the electoral process in the State; and it would on 20th March 2019 issue detailed timelines and activities for the completion of the election in the State.”

    The Rivers State PDP, however, wished to draw the INEC’s attention to the fact that in addition to the 17 Local Government Areas with fully collated results, the elections also successfully held and results declared at the unit and ward levels in five of the six other Local Government Areas where full collation of results is still pending.

    The Rivers PDP therefore urged the INEC to follow its guidelines to fill the missing gap, if any, in the collation process for the remaining five Local Government Areas by generating the full results from the unit results already in its custody and declare our candidates the clear and unassailable winners of the 9th March 2019 Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.

    “We commend the INEC for standing by the truth and for its courage and principled determination to ensure that the votes of the people of Rivers State as freely and overwhelmingly expressed on the 9th of March 2019 in favour of the PDP effectively count.

    “We also commend the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Yusuf Tukur Buratai for inaugurating the Major-General TA Gagariga’s led Committee to probe the allegations of misconduct, including the assassination attempt on our Governor, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike by soldiers during the 2019 general elections,” the statement added.

    The party also called on the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed Adamu to institute a similar panel to probe the brazen involvement of the Rivers State Commander of F-SARS, Mr. Akin Fakorode and his gang of police operatives in the organized invasion of polling units, collation centers, abduction of electoral officers and the shooting and killing of innocent persons during the general elections at Khana, Gokana, Ikwerre, Eleme, Tai, Oyigbo and Ogu/Bolo Local Governments of the State.