The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rivers

  • GOC faults Rivers PDP chairman on killing, mass arrest in Ogoni

    The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the newly-created 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim, has described as false, the alarm raised by the Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, on the alleged killing and mass arrest of members of the party by soldiers in Tai-Ogoni and Gokana-Ogoni Local Government Areas of the state.

    Maj.-Gen. Abdulkarim, in a telephone interview at 11:34 a.m. admonished all right-thinking Rivers people and other stakeholders to ignore the lies of Obuah and other leaders of the PDP.

    The GOC said: “It (Obuah’s allegation) is not true. Let them not create conflict within a conflict. Nobody should raise any alarm. I have just returned to the office in Port Harcourt, from monitoring the elections, which have been peaceful and the voters are orderly.

    “I was with the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations), Habila Joshak, when the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, called him to know the security situation on the ground and he (DIG) told IGP that everywhere was very calm and the electorate exercising their franchise. I do not know why they will cry wolf, where there is none.”

    Rivers PDP chairman, at 10:38 a.m. today, raised the alarm on the killing and mass arrest of members of the ruling party in Ogoniland by soldiers.

    Obuah said: “PDP in Rivers State condemns Nigerian Army’s arrest and killing of members of PDP in Tai and Gokana LGAs. The soldiers arrested over 200 PDP members in Tai LGA, 12 innocent PDP members were shot and one member of the party was killed in Tai LGA.

    “Barako community in Gokana LGA was also invaded by soldiers, scores of PDP members were arrested.”

     

  • Election: Voting commences in Rivers re-run

    Voting has commenced in Rivers re-run legislative election taking place in eight Local Government Areas.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that accreditation and voting began at 8.30am in Wards 10 and 16 of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.

    At Ward 16, unit 1, a voter, Mr Christian Aniakor, said the process was peaceful, cordial and smooth.

    “ I voted at 8.35 am. It was a peaceful exercise and I am impressed with the security arrangement, early arrival of election materials.

    “ This has indeed, reduced the pre-election tension which made it look as if it will be bloody,” he said.

    Mr Jeffrey Chuku, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent at the Ward, said he was impressed with the conduct of the election in the area.

    “ We are satisfied with the conduct of the election in the ward. It has been peaceful so far,” he said.

    M Chibuike Maraihe, All Progressives Congress (APC) agent at the ward said, the election began early and had been peaceful.

    “ I am impressed with the conduct of the election in the ward. The exercise has been free and fair here and as you can see, there is heavy security presence in the ward,” he said.

    At Ward 10, Unit 12, Mr Edmund, Naaku, the agent of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said though voter turn-out had not been much, voting commenced at 8.55am.

    “ My take is that the exercise here has been peaceful. We have not recorded much voter turn-out. I am optimistic people will come to vote later in the day,” he said.

    NAN also reports that the card reader machine was used to accredit voters while the incident form was used in units where the card reader did not function.

    INEC Presiding Officers in the wards said the election had been peaceful and smooth.

    In Akuku-Toru Local government Area, materials arrived late in the five units where election will hold.

    NAN reports that INEC officials had commenced distribution of materials to the affected units while voter turn-out was impressive. (NAN)

  • Rivers Rerun election updates

    Rivers Rerun election updates

    Wike alleges killing of two PDP agents in Ogoni by security agents

    *Bomb blasts in Kalabari, poll shifted;

    *Shootout in Khana, Etche LGAs.

    Bisi Olaniyi

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that two agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were shot dead in Bodo-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government Area of the state, by security agents.

    The mobile line of the Rivers Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was not available for reaction to the allegation.

    There were also bomb blasts in Abonnema-Kalabari, the headquarters of Akuku-Toru LGA of the state, with elections in the area postponed till Sunday.

    Hoodlums equally engaged security personnel in heavy shootout in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoniland and the seat of Khana LGA of the state and other parts of the LGA, with gunshots also recorded in Etche LGA.

     

    Gunshots by thugs in police uniform in Ogoni

    Bisi Olaniyi

    There were sporadic gunshots this afternoon by thugs in police uniform in Bodo-Ogoni, the hometown of the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Chief Kenneth Kobani, in Gokana Local Government Area of the state.

    The shooting took place at St. Pius College of the crude oil and gas-rich Bodo, when accreditation and voting were about to commence.

    The voters  and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) scampered for safety when the security agents were overwhelmed.

    PDP, APC supporters clash at Peterside’s community

    Supporters of the People Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, have clashed at Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the LGA of the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASSA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

    At least, three youths, believed to be members of the APC have been injured. As at the time of this update, the cause of the free for all is unknown, but it may not be unrelated to the issues of intimidation.

    When Contacted Peterside said, “Opobo/Nkoro is peace generally now. We observed that they imported some people from outside the LGA.”

    “Election for one unit was hijacked by some boys, but the security agencies have recovered it. That materials have arrived and it is going orderly for now.”

    Result sheet not available in Amaechi’s ward

    There is confusion in the polling unit of the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi over the whereabouts of the result sheet for the rerun election.
    Accreditation was initially delayed for hours due to claims by the polling officers that they did not have the result sheet and was awaiting one from their superior officer.
    However, when the senior officer showed up, he said he had earlier signed one allocated to the ward in Unit 14 in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government area.
    In the confusion that arose over the claims and counter claims, voters who had lined up for long attempted to assault the polling officers but peace was restored by security officers.
    The Minister along with other voters were still waiting for the exercise to commence at the time of this report

    GOC denies Rivers PDP chairman’s  alarm on killing, mass arrest in Ogoni

    Bisi Olaniyi

    The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the newly-created 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim, has described as false, the alarm raised by the Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, on the alleged killing and mass arrest of members of the party by soldiers in Tai-Ogoni and Gokana-Ogoni Local Government Areas of the state.

    Maj.-Gen. Abdulkarim, in a telephone interview at 11:34 a.m. admonished all right-thinking Rivers people and other stakeholders to ignore the lies of Obuah and other leaders of the PDP.

    The GOC said: “It (Obuah’s allegation) is not true. Let them not create conflict within a conflict. Nobody should raise any alarm. I have just returned to the office in Port Harcourt, from monitoring the elections, which have been peaceful and the voters are orderly.

    “I was with the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations), Habila Joshak, when the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, called him to know the security situation on the ground and he (DIG) told IGP that everywhere was very calm and the electorate exercising their franchise. I do not know why they will cry wolf, where there is none.”

    Rivers PDP chairman, at 10:38 a.m. today, raised the alarm on the killing and mass arrest of members of the ruling party in Ogoniland by soldiers.

    Obuah said: “PDP in Rivers State condemns Nigerian Army’s arrest and killing of members of PDP in Tai and Gokana LGAs. The soldiers arrested over 200 PDP members in Tai LGA, 12 innocent PDP members were shot and one member of the party was killed in Tai LGA.

    “Barako community in Gokana LGA was also invaded by soldiers, scores of PDP members were arrested.”

    END.

     

    Election: Voting commences

    Voting has commenced in Rivers re-run legislative election taking place in eight Local Government Areas.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that accreditation and voting began at 8.30am in Wards 10 and 16 of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.

    At Ward 16, unit 1, a voter, Mr Christian Aniakor, said the process was peaceful, cordial and smooth.

    “ I voted at 8.35 am. It was a peaceful exercise and I am impressed with the security arrangement, early arrival of election materials.

    “ This has indeed, reduced the pre-election tension which made it look as if it will be bloody,” he said.

    Mr Jeffrey Chuku, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent at the Ward, said he was impressed with the conduct of the election in the area.

    “ We are satisfied with the conduct of the election in the ward. It has been peaceful so far,” he said.

    M Chibuike Maraihe, All Progressives Congress (APC) agent at the ward said, the election began early and had been peaceful.

    “ I am impressed with the conduct of the election in the ward. The exercise has been free and fair here and as you can see, there is heavy security presence in the ward,” he said.

    At Ward 10, Unit 12, Mr Edmund, Naaku, the agent of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said though voter turn-out had not been much, voting commenced at 8.55am.

    “ My take is that the exercise here has been peaceful. We have not recorded much voter turn-out. I am optimistic people will come to vote later in the day,” he said.

    NAN also reports that the card reader machine was used to accredit voters while the incident form was used in units where the card reader did not function.

    INEC Presiding Officers in the wards said the election had been peaceful and smooth.

    In Akuku-Toru Local government Area, materials arrived late in the five units where election will hold.

    NAN reports that INEC officials had commenced distribution of materials to the affected units while voter turn-out was impressive. (NAN)
    No elections in many parts of Obio/Akpor
    Clarice Azuatalam

    The rerun election is not taking place in many areas of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

    In Elelenwo and Eneka areas, no election was seen going on.

    An INEC source said that voting in the LGA had already been concluded in the March 19 rerun election and their representatives for state and house of representatives have been sworn into office.

    Snatching of electoral materials: INEC cancels election unit

    Bisi Olaniyi,

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State, Aniedi Ikoiwak, has announced the cancellation of the rerun in Unit 3, Ward 9 of Ogu, the headquarters of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of the state, over snatching of electoral materials by hoodlums.

    Ogu borders Ogoniland and Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika LGA of the state, where Dame Patience, the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and a former militant leader, Ateke Tom, hail from.

    PDP chairman raises the alarm on alleged arrest, killing of members by soldiers

    -Army yet to respond

    Bisi Olaniyi,

    Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, has raised an alarm on the arrest and killing of many members of the party by soldiers in Tai-Ogoni and Gokana-Ogoni Local Government Areas of the state

    Obuah said: “PDP in Rivers State condemns Nigerian Army’s arrest and killing of members of PDP in Tai and Gokana LGAs. The soldiers arrested over 200 PDP members in Tai LGA, 12 innocent PDP members were shot and one member of the party was killed in Tai LGA.

    “Barako community in Gokana LGA was also invaded by soldiers, scores of PDP members were arrested.”

    The Spokesman of the newly-created 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, Col. Timothy Antigha, was immediately contacted to react to the allegations, but he was yet to do so at the time of this report.

    Govt. never planned to use drones to monitor rerun elections-Commissioner

    The Rivers Commissioner for Information, Dr Austin Tam-George, has described as untrue comments in some quarters that the state government plans to deploy drones to monitor the rerun elections in the state.

    He told Newsmen in Okrika on Saturday that the Nyesom Wike-led government was deeply interested in ensuring free, peaceful and credible legislative rerun elections.

    “That is a lie, we never contemplate using drones to monitor the elections, we are interested in following, casting our votes and ensuring they count,’’ he said.

    He said that the People Democratic Party had directed its members to be peaceful but vigilante.

    “We are opposed to violence and electoral criminality, we will only use peace and legitimate means to ensure that nothing illegal happens,’’ he said.(NAN)

    Turnout impressive, election peaceful in Bera, Gokana LGA

    The Rivers legislative rerun election has commenced peacefully in the state with a massive turnout of voters in Gokana Local Government Area of the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the exercise in being conducted in the three Senatorial districts for senatorial seats.

    The rerun is also held in eight Federal Constituencies for the House of Representatives seats and 10 State Constituencies for state assembly seats.

    In Bera Ward 16, Gokana LGA, the turnout was early and massive while the election materials arrived at 8.30 a.m.

    NAN also reports that card readers are working well in all the 16 polling units of Bera Ward 16 in local government area visited.

    The accreditation and voting started simultaneously at exactly 9.11a.m in all the units of Bera Ward 16.

    NAN further reports that all the polling units in the local government were organised in the Community Secondary School, Bera.

    The agency reports that voters were coordinated but under the heavy presence of the security operatives.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) and All Progressives Grand Alliance agents were seen in each of polling units in the Ward 16. (NAN)

    Long day expected, as electoral materials leave rack centre in Ogoni late

    Bisi Olaniyi reports: Long day is expected today’s (Saturday) during the legislative rerun across the three senatorial districts of Rivers State, as electoral materials are just leaving (at 9.40 a.m.) the rack centre in Ogale-Ogoni in Eleme Local Government Area of the state.

    The security situation in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, and Ogoniland is commendable, with heavy deployment of soldiers, policemen, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agents, in order to ensure free, fair, peaceful and credible elections in the 1,840 polling units in all the 23 LGAs of the hitherto volatile Niger Delta state.

  • #RiversRerun: Updates on Rivers elections

    #RiversRerun: Updates on Rivers elections

  • Buhari calls for peaceful elections in Rivers

    Buhari calls for peaceful elections in Rivers

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday called for peaceful and orderly conduct in the federal and state legislative rerun elections billed for Saturday in Rivers State.

    According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President also urged all political parties, their candidates, other stakeholders and the people of the state to ensure that the polls are conducted without rigging, violence and intimidation of opponents and electoral officials.

    He reminded politicians and their supporters in Rivers State to put the higher interest of the people of the state in mind as they go to the polls on Saturday. “The rerun elections should not be seen as a door- die affair to the extent that people will be killed, maimed and property destroyed in a mindless display of crude primitive instincts.

    “Innocent blood should never be sacrificed on the altar of political contest for temporary power,” the President warned. While calling on security and law enforcement agencies to exhibit professionalism and non-partisanship in the discharge of their constitutional duties even in the face of extreme provocations, President Buhari directed them to deal decisively with troublemakers and those bent on violating the sanctity of the electoral process.

    He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do all within its powers to give transparency and fairness to the electoral exercise in Rivers State. The President restated the commitment of his administration to deepening democracy in the country by enthroning a legacy of respect for the wishes of the people through free, fair and credible elections devoid of intimidation and violence throughout the federation.

  • Rivers Rerun: Army deploys troops to flash points

    The Nigerian Army on Friday directed the deployment of troops to flash points in Rivers ahead of the Dec. 10 legislative elections rerun in the state.

    Maj.- Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Port Harcourt, gave the order while addressing officers and soldiers at the Divisional Headquarters in Port Harcourt.

    Abdulkarim said the directive was to ensure the prevention of breakdown of law and order before, during and after the elections in Rivers.

    He said that troops would also be deployed to strategic locations, including oil and gas installations and other critical assets in and around the state.

    According to him, commanders will embark on early planning, coordination and liaison with civil authority, Nigeria Police Force, INEC and other stakeholders to ensure hitch-free election.

    “During the election, commanders are to ensure that troops are deployed at flash points, key points and valuable points before, during and after the elections.

    “Troops will be in their respective position by 3 a.m. on the Election Day while monitoring of security situation from the joint operations centre will commence two days before election.

    “Commanders are to ensure that troops are deployed at the outer perimeter of designated collation centres and polling booths in support of the Nigeria Police without getting directly involved with INEC activities.

    “Similarly, commanders are to direct the conduct of patrols; establish checkpoints and roadblocks and provide escort during the election in order to prevent unlawful movements, ballot box snatching and sundry crimes.

    “Also, commanders must ensure that troops deny unauthorised persons access to collation centres, INEC offices and NYSC officials during the election,’’ he said.

    Abdulkarim also directed “local commanders’’ of the army to escort the election materials to INEC office in Port Harcourt.

    He said that troops would identify and curtail hostile individuals, groups and key players; gather information and carry out a show of force within strategic towns in Rivers and adjoining states.

    “Lastly, commanders are to establish a broadband communication network with repeater stations at strategic towns starting seven days before and two days after the election,’’ he said.

    Abdulkarim urged troops to remain non-partisan and document on video as pictorial evidence for use in the event of litigation that might result from their conduct during the elections.

    The GOC also advised troops to strictly adhere to army’s election Code of Conduct and Operational Orders in the rerun elections.

    “This is because any personnel found to flout the army’s position on the election will be severely sanctioned in line with our operational guideline.

    “Officers and soldiers should disassociate themselves with civilians and politicians, especially during the election,’’ he said. (NAN)

  • As Rivers people vote again

    As Rivers people vote again

    In those days—those days of innocence —life began and ended with going to school in Agege and going on holidays in Epe and basking in the grand-motherly alms of Iya Alate. No worries at all. Worrying was beyond the purview of my office as a child. Eating fresh fish, savouring Ikokore, eja yoyo (yoyo fish) and all those Ijebu niceties must have created in me the impression that life was meant only for good things.

    It meant little that people were dying because my brain was not developed enough to grasp its essence. Other evils of the time were just too much for my childish brain to decipher.

    But the innocence disappeared with time. From secondary school days, it started being clear to me that life did not begin and end with schooling and holidaying.

    Journalism — which makes minding other people’s business my business — finally cleared my brain of any fog. It opened me to the reality of the world we live in: this wicked world where rat race has robbed many of their humanity.

    How does one begin to explain a situation where men with blood in their veins will storm a home in Rivers State and kill the father, the mother and a son? They were not done: they cut off the father’s head and went away with it. In another instance, they clubbed a fellow human being to a state of coma and set him ablaze. There have been instances where they had no time for such time wasting and they simply just pumped hot lead into their victims, thus ending dreams and shattering hopes.

    When I see man’s cruelty to man such as these, I long for those days when life began and ended with schooling and being cuddled by Iya Alate.

    The other day in dear Rivers State, some 25 people were killed one after the other. Some of them were lucky to have their heads still intact; some were not that lucky. The heartless men who killed them severed their heads and went away with them. To renew their money-making rituals? To show evidence of job well done to their patrons? Questions upon questions have dominated my mind since then and I long for those days when life began and ended with schooling and holidaying in my dear Epe Alaro.

    Were these blood-thirsty men not cowards, I would have sought them out and interviewed them. I would have asked them if they have children. I would have asked them if they have blood flowing in their veins. I would have asked them if they were born of women. I would have asked them if they have conscience— that open wound which can only be healed by the truth. I would not have forgotten to ask them if they are paid for the nasty services they are rendering.

    I certainly would not have forgotten to seek some vital clarifications: Were their victims rival cultists who fell to superior power? Or were the victims taken out because of their political leanings in order to scare others from following their path? I would have confirmed from them if it is true that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is appropriating all dead bodies in Rivers State just for cheap political mileage.

    But here I am with no one to answer my questions and I long for those days when life began and ended with schooling in Agege and holidaying in Epe in the grand-motherly alms of Iya Alate.

    I have further worries and questions, which will help reduce my longing for those days of innocence when I cared less. I will share those worries and ask those questions hoping that in this social media age someone will hide under anonymity and provide me all I need.

    Is life really worth all these killings? We are killing ourselves because of tomorrow forgetting that tomorrow is not ours. Tomorrow belongs to God. It is today that is somehow ours.

    Death can take us away before tomorrow, which we are trying to secure by beheading fellow human beings. We can be taken away through auto crashes. We can be taken away by cardiac arrest. We can be taken away through heart failure. We can be taken away by simply missing a step and not living to tell the story. Why then are we cruel to ourselves because of tomorrow when all we are supposed to do is to treat today well so that our tomorrow can be better?

    The killings in Rivers have made me wonder what happens in the hereafter. Where do killers go when they die? If I judge by my understanding of the Bible, the answer is simple: hell. What happens to them there? Are they flogged regularly? Do they meet one-on-one with their victims? Questions and questions and questions and I long for those days when life began and ended with schooling in Agege and holidaying in Epe in the grand-motherly alms of Iya Alate.

    The killings in Omoku have brought back the memory of the Adubes. On April 3, last year, men without brains stormed their home in Omoku and killed Christopher Adube and three of his children. They also killed the family driver and a family friend who was in the home when they came, dressed like soldiers, that evening. The bullets they pumped into 15-year-old Paul Adube’s leg have ensured he is wheel-chair bound. The hot lead they released unto Ogechi Adube’s legs have also seen rods inserted into her bones and because of this, she cannot fold her legs. You can imagine the pains of walking around with legs that feel like wood or stone.

    Of the 12 children Adube had with his two wives, three were killed with him; two were left practically crippled and the others now live with shattered dreams. They are not sure of where the next meal will come from. Their father’s sin, I am made to understand, was his affiliation with the APC. His children’s sin was being born by him. The evil men applied the Law of Moses forgetting that the coming of our lord Jesus Christ marked the end of that law, which encouraged taking out the father’s sin on the son or daughter.

    The report of the Rivers Commission of Inquiry headed by the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, said a monthly average of 19 killings occurred in the state between November 2014 and April 2015.

    The Commission noted that of the 97 allegations of killings it received, 94 of them occurred between November 15, 2014, and April 11, last year.

    This report, Odinkalu said, reaffirms that no state or country should allow a repeat of such violence in the name of politics. It also shows how and why Rivers State and Nigeria must end impunity for political violence.

    He added: “The evidence suggests a significant incidence of internal displacement resulted from political violence in many parts of Rivers State.

    “The Commission of Inquiry also received evidence which strongly suggested that sexual violence was part of the arsenal of political violence in some areas.

    “We met some of their survivors. There were children orphaned. The youngest we met was 9 months old when his father was killed in his presence. He was still breastfeeding.

    “We met young widows of political violence, as well as grand-mothers who had to bury their grand-sons killed in violence. Their stories deserve to be told and heard. They deserve justice as well as political leaders and security agencies that will protect their best interests.”

    The justice Odinkalu spoke about has not been served, just as political leaders and security agencies are still scampering for answers on how to protect the people. Those who suffer for this failure are the people. And going by recent media reports, over 30 people have been killed this year alone.

    For the APC, the recent killings are because of tomorrow’s re-run polls ordered by the Court of Appeal into the House of Assembly and National Assembly. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the APC is at its propaganda best again. And I long to get one of the killers to clear the air on why they are killing and beheading people. And in the absence of an answer, I long for those days when life began and ended with schooling in Agege and holidaying in Epe in the grand-motherly alms of Iya Alate; those days of innocence when my brain lacked the capacity to understand this evil of gargantuan proportion.

    My final take: Tomorrow is not worth killing and beheading people for. Tomorrow does not belong to us. Let’s not appropriate to ourselves what belongs to He who when he says yes nobody can say no. Only when we understand this simple fact will we appreciate that we may not live to see the tomorrow that we are killing to secure.

    • This article was first published in March under the title “Because of tomorrow”. It is reproduced because of tomorrow’s Rivers rerun as a food for thought to all players in the political space of this dear state.

  • Obuah: APC can’t match PDP in Rivers

    The Chairman, Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),  Mr. Felix Obuah, has indicated that the PDP is the party to beat in the Southsouth state and that it is no match for the All Progressives Congress (APC), in terms of popularity.

    Obuah made the remark following the recent Appeal Court judgments, which nullified the purported election of two APC candidates, Andrew Miller and Eldred Braide for Opobo/Nkoro and Degema State Constituencies respectively. The court declared the candidates of the PDP, Adonye Kelly Diri and Farah Dagogo winners for each of the constituencies.

    The PDP Chairman described the judgments as not only a correction of miscarriage of justice by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the authentic winners in the March 19, 2016, Legislative Election in the two areas, Hon. Diri and his Degema constituency counterpart, but a further proof of the overwhelming and indisputable popularity of the PDP in the state, especially in Opobo/Nkoro  local government. The council area is the home of the APC governorship candidate in last year’s election, Mr. Dakuku Peterside.

    He added that Diri’s victory has again justified his position that the carcass left of the APC, including Mr. Magnus Abe and Peterside, can never win any election in the area, having been rejected by the people of that constituency.

    The PDP applauded the jurists of the Appeal Court for taking an unbiased decision and upholding the rule of law, thereby sustaining the dignity of the judiciary in the face of apparent intimidation and pressure by the undemocratic forces.

    Obuah said all the claims by Abe and Peterside about their popularity in the Rivers Southeast senatorial district have been rubbished by Diri’s victory. He noted that the APC has no chance in the December 10 re-run elections, unless it connives with INEC and political thugs to rig the election in the party’s favour.

    Obuah congratulated Diri for defeating Peterside in Opobo, saying the PDP chieftain is a gallant, unwavering, popular and loyal party man.

    He urged all party supporters to remain steadfast and resist the intimidation of the ruling party at the centre in the coming rerun election in parts of the state. He particularly charged the electorate in the state to come out en mass and vote for all candidates of the PDP during the December 10 re-run Legislative Elections.

  • Towards peaceful polls in Rivers

    Towards peaceful polls in Rivers

    •All eyes are on Rivers State ahead of tomorrow’s elections

    Tomorrow, the Rivers State electorate will vote to fill three senatorial seats, eight in the House of Representatives and 10 in the House of Assembly. Against the background of tension in the state, about 20,000 personnel, 20 gunboats and three helicopters have been deployed by the Police to the combustible state. The electoral commission also has mobilised 10,294 staff for the crucial election.

    On two previous occasions, owing to political rascality and allegations of collusion by the electoral and security officials, it was impossible to come up with acceptable results. The last legislative election in March saw a number of polling officials and innocent citizens needlessly killed or maimed. And, when another attempt was to be made to conclude the process in July, the pervading atmosphere suggested that there could be mayhem and general breakdown of law and order. Consequently, as a responsible agency, after due consultation with all stakeholders, the electoral commission postponed the election.

    But we are concerned about the inflammable speeches by political leaders in the state. The state governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have been quick to launch attacks at the federal government and the federal agencies involved in conducting the election. They have been charged with all manner of crimes, including plans to assassinate the governor, aid the leading opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in snatching ballot boxes and in printing fake sensitive materials. As expected, these have been denied.

    The APC, too, has kept shouting that youths have been trained to attack leading party officials and candidates as well as instigate chaos and anarchy with a view to sustaining the status quo. It is disturbing to hear the chief security officer of a state instruct the people to take the law into their own hands. Wike said: Nobody should intimidate you with security agents. Resist any arrest. You must move round in groups to promote resistance to the robbers of mandates.”  In an apparent response, a candidate for the Ikwerre state constituency, Azubuike Wajoku, alleged: “The Rivers State government under the PDP has planned to kill me. But they will not succeed. They shot at me during the 2015 election and thought I was dead, but God revived me…this is a show of the criminal mind that governs the state today.”

    In this picture, no one is talking about the interests of the electorate. The basic underpinning of the democratic system is the General Will. This is what has suffered in Rivers State since May 29, 2015. As the National Assembly pointed out last month, the state is unrepresented in the upper legislative chamber. Since 2015, screenings of nominees for federal appointments have been held without input from the state. At the moment, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is being debated and processed without the voice of Rivers State, which is at the heart of the Niger Delta, being heard.

    This supports the claim by INEC that politicians should be blamed for the spate of inconclusive elections recorded in the past one year. We call on all officials concerned to discharge their duties impartially and firmly. Whoever infringes the law should be apprehended and tried under the law. Impunity has traversed the land for too long and it is time to show that the law enforcement agencies can bark and bite in the interest of the people.

    The Rivers State Supplementary Rerun National and State Legislative Elections is another opportunity to show that Nigeria can manage elections. It is time to build on the successes achieved in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

     

  • Anxiety in Rivers over rerun

    Anxiety in Rivers over rerun

    In Rivers State, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are strategising towards winning the  December 10 legislative rerun across the three senatorial districts. BISI OLANIYI writes on the controversies, intrigues and power play.

    Rivers State has been enveloped in anxiety, following the allegation by a group, Ken Saro-Wiwa Associate, that Governor Nyesom Wike and other ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders had concluded arrangements to bomb the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the four Ogoni Local Government Areas of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme. Thus, fears are rife that the December 10 legislative rerun may be marred by violence.

    The group’s national coordinator, Gani Topba, alleged a plot to cause confusion that would again lead to the postponement of the elections.

    Wike, through one of his allies, Sidney Tambari Gbara, who is the Chairman of PDP in Khana LGA, has denied the allegation .

    The INEC has fixed July 30 for the poll, but it was postponed till October because the electoral commission’s office in Bori-Ogoni was set ablaze by unknown persons on July 22.

    The APC candidate in the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, is seen by most stakeholders as Wike’s main headache because of the 2019 governorship battle. Abe is a potential governorship aspirant.

    The governor is making efforts to ensure that the Bera-Ogoni, Gokana LGA-born Abe, who was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) in the 7th National Assembly, does not return to the Senate.

    The campaign office of Abe in Bori was recently bombed by unknown persons.

    Wike, however, claimed that Abe and other APC leaders would not pose threat to the PDP candidates: “We defeated them before and we will defeat them again, he said.”

    An APC chieftain, Hon. Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, alleged that the PDP was planning to arrest opposition figures.

    Flag-Amachree, a former Chairman of Asari-Toru (Kalabari) council, was arrested on April 19 over allegation of murder in his LGA during last year’s general elections.

    He said: “While I was still in detention, they made all efforts to make sure that I defected to the PDP and assured me that they would withdraw all the charges against me and at the same time make some offers. I told some of them, but I cannot start calling their names, that the essence of my whole political life, is not just because of what I will gain or any personal benefit, but based on principle.”

    Wike has accused the Commissioner of Police, Francis Odesanya, of allegedly approving 10 riot policemen for Flag-Amachree, who he said was standing trial for murder.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Aniedi Ikoiwak, who assured that the rerun would be free, fair and credible, disclosed that the elections would hold in 1,840 polling units across the 23 LGAs.

    Ikoiwak said the bulk of the voting on December 10 would be in seven LGAs of Andoni, Akuku-Toru, Bonny, Etche, Ikwerre, Khana and Gokana, while giving assurance that INEC would not take sides.

    The REC said that the electoral commission was not recruiting ad hoc staff for the rerun, stressing that the ad hoc staff used during elections were recruited from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other federal agencies.

    The PDP has the 25 of 32 seats so far declared in the Rivers House of Assembly. The only elected APC lawmaker, Victoria Nyeche, of Port Harcourt Constituency 1, is yet to be inaugurated, in spite of a court order, based on Wike’s directive to the leadership of the House of Assembly.

    The PDP is also occupying the three declared seats of the House of Representatives, out of 13. Rivers currently has no senator in the National Assembly. The senatorial elections will hold in Rivers Southeast, Rivers East and Rivers West districts.

    The 23 LG caretaker chairmen and members belong to the PDP and they would want to deliver their areas by hook or crook, but the leadership of the APC vowed that rigging would be resisted on December 10.

    The governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, who chairs the Rivers APC Campaign Council, during its November 30, inauguration in Abuja by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, assured that the candidates of the APC would emerge victorious on Saturday.

    The governor and the APC also disagreed on campaign schedules.

    Wike claimed that members of Rivers APC had refused to campaign, in view of the assurances from INEC and the security agencies that the elections would be manipulated in their favour.

    The governor stated that the plot to rig the polls would come to naught, because the people were vigilant and would not be intimidated by the illegal use of security agents to aid INEC to rig.

    Wike said: “They (APC members in Rivers State) have refused to campaign because they have received assurances of rigging.

    “The man who plans to hijack materials, how many heads does he have? Rivers people must stand up to defend their votes.”

    APC Publicity Secretary Chris Finebone however, maintained that the candidates of the party were busy campaigning across the three senatorial districts.

    “As the rerun approach, it seems to be dawning on the governor that times have changed.

    “Today, some of the Supreme Court justices that Wike compromised to get favourable judgment are standing trial, while others are under intense investigation by security agents.

    “The result of the present situation is that the cowardly Wike is feeling totally vulnerable and jittery. In his helplessness, the governor has resorted to crude blackmail against all stakeholders.”

    Wike, claimed that the 600 policemen in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) have already been assigned to prominent APC leaders by Odesanya, on local government basis, allegedly for the indiscriminate arrest of PDP supporters, few days to the elections.

    Odesanya, accused the governor of mere propaganda and deception, saying that he never met with any APC leader on how to rig the rerun.

    The APC Chairman, Chief Davies Ikanya, also alerted that the state governor and other members of the PDP were planning to deploy fake soldiers and policemen during the rerun.

    He alleged that Wike had made many NYSC uniforms, complete with APC tags, which PDP thugs would wear and thumbprint ballot papers on the day of the elections, to implicate the APC.

    The governor, however, alleged that the police high command, through the state’s Commander of SARS, Mr. Akin Fakorede, has distributed SARS personnel to APC candidates and chieftains for the rerun.

    He claimed that the SARS personnel were assigned to the APC’s candidates and chieftains for the purpose of snatching election materials and the intimidation of PDP supporters.

    Wike wondered why politicians, who were expected to stay away from polling units, would be allocated SARS personnel to cause electoral violence.

    Giving a breakdown of some of the APC leaders allocated the SARS personnel, the governor claimed that Rivers East candidate, Chief Andrew Uchendu, was allocated 27 men; Ojukaye Flag-Amachree – 10 men; APC’s candidate for Okrika/Ogu-Bolo federal constituency, Maureen Tamuno – 10 men, while Azubuike Wanjoku, Ogbonna Nwuke and Barry Mpigi, all APC’s candidates, were allocated 10 policemen each.

    He alleged that the Rivers police command, after allocating policemen to APC candidates, left all PDP candidates for the same polls without security, stressing that the resolution to use security personnel for rigging the rerun would not succeed in the state, noting that the youths would stand to defend their votes.

    Wike said: “Despite these fraudulent allocation of security personnel to APC candidates, I urge our people to remain vigilant and not to be afraid.

    ”Our youths should follow the electoral process from the beginning to the end. Defend your votes and the mandates of the people of Rivers State.”

    The governor also said he decided to take it upon himself to release critical information garnered through confirmed intelligence, for the sake of credible and violence-free polls.

    The APC, however, expressed surprise about the decision of Wike to take special interest in scrutinising precautionary personal security arrangements by candidates of the APC, ahead of the rerun.

    The party stated that it was shocking that the Rivers governor went to town, reeling out names of alleged security agents protecting APC candidates, claiming that the security agents would be used to cause electoral mischief, particularly for snatching of ballot boxes, which was described as ridiculous, untrue and worrisome.

    APC said: “The Rivers governor should not be bothered about security arrangements people make for themselves, in the face of general insecurity that presently pervades our once peaceful state, now under his watch.

    “It is all too well known that he (Wike) lacks the moral ground to genuinely fight insecurity, having caused it ab initio. It is highly suspicious that a governor will climb a political soapbox and start reeling out names of security agents attached to his political opponents.”

    The party also condemned Wike’s continued blackmail of stakeholders, except himself and PDP, stressing that immunity in public office had expiry date.

    APC also revealed why the governor was fighting President Muhammadu Buhari; Amaechi; and other leaders of the APC.

    It alleged that Wike was plotting to undermine Buhari’s administration, thereby weakening and destroying the APC, before the 2019 general elections.

    The opposition party noted that the plot by the governor involved unrelenting campaigns against Amaechi, a former governor and other chieftains of the APC.

    APC said: “In the latest manifestation of the plot, Wike and the Rivers State government paid a whopping $1.5 million to a movie producer to produce and syndicate fabricated video clips on how Amaechi and the Rivers Commissioner of Police purportedly plan to rig the December 10 legislative rerun in the state. Such a rigging plot exists only in the demented mind of Wike and other Rivers PDP leaders.  

    “The desperation of the members of the factionalised PDP to demonise and bring down Amaechi is callous, vindictive, wicked, diversionary and the height of betrayal.

    “We are aware of the fact that Wike and the PDP are desperate to pull down Amaechi, so to ensure that our expected impact during the forthcoming Rivers rerun legislative elections is reduced to the barest minimum. By reducing the influence of Amaechi and ridiculing him, the target of destroying APC and the Presidency of Buhari will be easily achieved.”

    The opposition party insisted that Wike and other members of the PDP were not ready for the rerun, making them to opt for blackmail, as a way of escape the defeat that awaited them on December 10.

    It said: “This initial plot hatched in Wike’s office at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt was to contract a popular movie producer in the Nollywood industry to assemble different clips of the Transportation Minister at different times, saying things as someone negotiating a price with some people. The idea was to project the minister as if he was asking judges to pervert justice, but the plot was later abandoned, when the affected judges were contacted.

    “The embattled judges were said to have vehemently opposed the idea, which they said might backfire. The governor’s hatchet men and spin doctors, who were worried that they might be asked to refund the money approved for the project, then suggested the idea of implicating the Rivers Commissioner of Police and the top echelon of the police in the state.

    “The video of a meeting between APC chieftains will be aired, with someone speaking in the Rivers Police Commissioner’s voice, purportedly showing them discussing plans on how to rig the forthcoming rerun elections. We wish to alert the general public to watch out, as a concocted video clip aimed at throwing mud at the Police Commissioner in Rivers State is set to be uploaded on different platforms, including YouTube.”

    The APC also asked the state’s governor and other members of the PDP to leave alone President Buhari, the transportation minister and other leaders of the party, but to concentrate their efforts on rescuing their drowning party, for Nigerians to have a virile opposition, not the one that was perpetually factionalised.

    But, Wike berated the leadership of INEC for allegedly releasing a list of ad hoc staff, with APC ward chairmen and secretaries as Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs), while charging PDP members in Rivers to resist “politically-engineered” arrests

    He claimed that majority of the APC ward chairmen and secretaries listed as APOs were fraudulently tagged staff of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

    He said: “They think that my love for peace is a sign of weakness, but I want to declare that enough is enough. We are supposed to be under an era of change, but the love for fraud by INEC and police is unprecedented

    “Anyone whose son or daughter is on the fraudulent INEC list should tell him/her to stay away on election day.

    ”All these desperate actions are geared towards the plot to rig in favour of particular candidates, but the candidates will not win. Rivers people must be allowed to vote persons of their choice.”

    Wike also alleged that the security agencies were working with APC leaders to release fake police and army uniforms to thugs for electoral fraud.

    He said: “Nobody should intimidate you with security agents. Resist any arrest. You must move round in groups to promote resistance of the robbers of mandates.

    “They are threatening that I will be the first governor they will assassinate. They are threatening that they will show me that they are security agencies, but I will always protect the interest of Rivers State, no matter the threats.”

    The REC, however, described the governor’s allegations as untrue, while cautioning him against reckless and provocative statements that could heighten tension, insisting that there would be no election in Tai-Ogoni LGA.

    Wike fired back, declaring that during the March 19 rerun that INEC suspended elections in eight LGAs of the state, including Tai, only for the same electoral commission to wake up four months later to allegedly concoct results in favour of the APC.