The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rivers

  • Rivers overseas scholars to return home

    Three hundred and twenty-eight students offered special overseas scholarships by the Rotimi Amaechi administration in Rivers State would now have to continue their studies in Nigeria.

    Their scholarships have been terminated due to “financial challenges” facing the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration.

    The 328 students are expected to return to the country between July and September 2016 to continue with their studies.

    The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), Mr Larry Pepple, told journalists in Port Harcourt that they would return in three batches.

    “The first batch will return in July, second batch in August, while the last batch will return in September,” he said.

    Pepple explained that the government has discussed with the managements of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) and University of Port Harcourt about absorbing the students, adding that the agency is liaising with the various schools abroad to facilitate the timely transmission of the students’ transcripts.

    For those whose disciplines are not offered by the two universities, Pepple said they would be allowed to choose from other local universities that offer their courses; while those whose courses are not offered in Nigeria, would be encouraged to take related courses of the Bachelor Level.

    Denying that the decision was politically-motivated, the RSSDA Boss said the government is merely responding to the economic challenges facing the country.

    He also said that continuing their programmes locally would not defeat the objective of the scholarship as the students would bring their wealth of experience to improve educational development in the state.

    “Though the programme has been suspended, the development will not deter the government from sending some indigent Rivers people abroad in future to acquire special skills,” Pepple said.

     

  • APC man burnt alive as ‘thugs’ kill five in Rivers

    APC man burnt alive as ‘thugs’ kill five in Rivers

    •Council chief’s mum abducted    •Obuah describes killings as abominable

    A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ofinijite Amachree, was burnt alive in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government of Rivers State yesterday.

    Amachree was beaten up and burnt. Five were clubbed to death between Saturday and Sunday.

    The murder of Amachree took place barely 48 hours after APC’s Ward 4 chairman in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Franklin Obi, was beheaded at his home by masked gunmen at 9 pm. His wife and 18-year-old son, Bestman, were also killed.

    Four APC members were killed in Obibi, Etche Local Government, while Gabriel Cookey was clubbed to death in Opobo, headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro.

    There were sporadic shootings at the wee hours of yesterday in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.

    A source said: “We don’t really know what caused the fight; but what we know is that it is a clash between the APC and PDP. There were gunshots; so, we had to take cover in our house. One guy, popularly known as Kpom Kpom, who I think is an APC member was killed and burnt. As I speak with you, there is tension in Buguma”.

    Police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad confirmed the incident.

    Muhammad said normalcy had returned to the area following the response of security operatives.

    He said: “On Saturday’s killings in Omoku, no arrest has been made yet, but it is under investigation.

    “There was a report of security breach in Buguma, but normalcy has been restored, due to the intervention by our men. I do not have any report on killings in Opobo and Obibi-Etche, for now (at 3:49 pm).”

    The mother of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government, Sobomabo Jackrich, was abducted by armed men on Sunday around Obiri Ikwerre Bridge, Port Harcourt.

    State PDP Chairman Felix Obuah condemned the killing of an APC chief and his family in Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA).

    Obuah, in a statement in Port Harcourt by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Jerry Nedam, expressed shock at the “reckless killings in Omoku”.

    The PDP chief said the killing “is condemnable, unacceptable abominable and sheer madness”.

    He wondered why entreaties by Governor Nyesom Wike to warring youths in Omoku during his visit to the area a few weeks ago could be so flagrantly violated.

    He described the murder of the family on Saturday, “as one too many,” and urged the police to tighten up security around the area and all parts of the state.

    ‘’My heart goes out to those that lost their lives and loved ones in these tragic events,’’ Obuah said.

    The chairman urged politicians to join hands with Wike to keep the state peaceful and secure from criminals, rather than trading words and politicking with insecurity.

    He regretted that rather than join in the fight against criminality and insecurity, some politicians have politicised the situation.

    Besides the killing of Franklin Obi, his wife and son, the Obuah claimed the PDP Chairman in Obite, Isaac Ikechukwu Chinedu, and Ward 9 PDP Assistant Secretary from Oboburu, Chinedu Saidey, both of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, also lost their lives to gunmen.

    Peterside: Rivers is a killing field 

    Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2015 election  Dr. Dakuku Peterside has described the state as a killing field.

    Peterside, in a statement yesterday, condemned the murder of Ofinijite Amachree, an APC stalwart in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area.

    Amachree was beaten up and set ablaze.

    He decried the execution, describing it as frightening and unprecedented. According to him, the pathetic security situation inthe state is unfortunately an affront on the Federal Government’s power to protect life and property within its territory.

    Peterside, who spoke in Port Harcourt said the state urgently needs help.

    “The security situation in our state is distressing and we cannot continue to live under such a desperate situation. I am  again drawing attention to daily killings in Rivers State.

    “Last Friday, Mr. Franklin, APC Ward 4 chairman in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government was killed and beheaded in Omoku. His wife and son were also killed. Franklin, who recently moderated APC ward meeting in the council, hails from the same ward as the state chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah.

    “Four APC persons were killed in Obibi, Etche council in the last 48 hours. Gabriel Cookey was clubbed to death in Opobo, Opobo/Nkoro councils.

    “Only yesterday morning, in Buguma,  Ofinjite Amachree , an APC member was set ablaze by alleged thugs of PDP.

    “In fact, in the last two weeks, over 30 APC members have been killed in different parts of the state. We are tired of this bloodbath; this is why we are calling on the Federal Government to come to our aid.

    “As citizens of the state, we know that this heart-rending situation is a fallout of loss of moral right by the Nyesom Wike-led government to fight criminality having allegedly benefited from their activities. But this killing must stop and the time is now.

    “Unfortunately, members of PDP are allegedly heeding the call by Wike to burn alive members of the opposition and other electoral personnel, who stand in their way to victory in the rerun elections.”

  • APC chief beheaded in Rivers ahead of rerun

    APC chief beheaded in Rivers ahead of rerun

     •Wife, son also killed  

    •Police chief sad

    •APC condemns barbaric act

    Two weeks to the March 19 legislative rerun in Rivers State, masked gunmen at 9 pm on Saturday, beheaded a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Franklin Obi, and killed his wife and 18-year-old son, Bestman.

    The gunmen took away the head of Franklin. After shooting him dead, they severed his head and disappeared.

    The killings took place at Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government, hometown of the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah.

    In Omoku last month, 25 persons were killed, with many of them beheaded.

    Until his murder at his home on Rutachi Street in Omoku, Obi was the APC’s chairman of Ward 4, the same ward with Obuah.

    Police Commissioner Musa Kimo, yesterday, visited the deceased’s family. Kimo described the incident as sad, while the stateAPC, through its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, condemned the barbaric act.

    It was learnt some persons in the neighbourhood saw the masked gunmen before the murder, but failed to report to the police or raise the alarm.

    A 16-year-old daughter of the deceased, Victory, who was in a room with his elder brother, Bestman, saw her dad beheaded through an opening.

    Victory said after killing his parents, the gunmen came into the room and ordered them to leave the room. But she said the killers, annoyed by Bestman’s sluggishness, shot him dead at close range.

    APC said: “The killing of our Franklin Obi on Saturday night was shocking, to say the least. It goes to support what we know that the PDP members have been responsible for all the killings in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government.

    “Make your deductions: the late Franklin Obi was the APC’s Ward 4 chairman. He managed and moderated the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni APC’s meeting last Thursday in Omoku and by Saturday he was killed and beheaded, with the wife and son also killed.”

    The police chief regretted  that some people saw the masked gunmen, but failed to report to the police.

    He urged the people to always inform the police, whenever they notice any suspicious movement.

    Kimo said: “I am here in Omoku this time on a sad note. It is sad in the sense that we are bereaved. The governor (Nyesom Wike), some security officers and I were in Omoku two weeks ago in search of peace. Unfortunately, violence has continued to pervade, dovetailing into kidnappings and murders.

    “On Saturday night, precisely 2100 hours, Mr. Franklin Obi, APC chairman, Ward 4, Omoku, the wife and son were murdered in their house. This is bad. This is a sin and unacceptable.

    “I am here to commiserate with the family and to re-strategise and put measures in place to forestall future recurrence.”

    The police commissioner said the police would ensure that those behind the dastardly act were arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Kimo said investigations were on into killings in Omoku, including the murder of Franklin Obi, his wife and son.

    The police chief also visited the Oba (Eze Ogba) of Ogbaland, Sir Chukumela Nnam Obi II, at Omoku.

    The first class monarch, who was sad at the shocking killings in Omoku and other parts of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, declared that the killers who did not want him and his people to have peace, would never know peace.

  • What’s matter with Rivers politicians?

    SIR: The recent Supreme Court judgment which affirmed the election of Governor Nyesom Wike couldn’t have come at a better time for many. Peace in this state – they say, is an essential commodity needed yesterday but benignity and forbearance, essential commodities necessary for peace are absent today and peace has taken flight.

    Those who expected a contrary judgment and craved for a re-run feel let down no doubt; others, supporters of the governor say he would have won a re-run should there have been any.

    Is this the Rivers State, Wenike Briggs, Harold Dappa-Biriye and many others fought to have created by the Federal Government?

    Thoughtful leadership is needed here more than the building of roads and bridges. Thoughtful leadership will prevent some council of elders to avoid taking the injudicious decision to ask the governor of Rivers not to consider non-indigenes for appointments to political offices or for educational scholarships. It would prevent the use of the word “strangers” which is still bandied around by politicians to refer to non-indigenes.

    George Bush, the 41st president of the United States lay claim to more than one home state: the states of Missouri where his mother was from, Massachusetts where he was born, Ohio where his father was from and Texas where he lived.

    Thoughtful leadership prevents people from blaming other people for their ills. Thoughtful leadership would ensure that politicians do not work at cross purposes and evaluators would critique politicians on the basis of performance in office, how they live their lives, the malfeasance, nonfeasance and misfeasance that went (go) with their stewardship.

    It guarantees the respect for our fellow countrymen but not on the basis of tribe. How can we even value country when we don’t even value the individual? ,

    It was Pearl S. Buck who said and I believe it to be true that, “it’s natural anywhere that people like their own kind but it is not necessarily natural that their fondness for their own kind should lead them to the subjugation of whole groups of other people not like them.”

    I wish Nabo-Graham Douglas was alive. At least it was reported that he spoke in a nice way, was genial to friends and foes alike, stood his ground on tough issues civilly without disrespect, and on his deathbed he was still thinking about the possibility of a stakeholders’ meeting for the good of state. So patriotic that man, that he hated to promote fractious divide.

    In contrast, the politicians today in this  state create a chasm for all in ways that Ghengis Khan would have envied and are never tired of groping for stones to cross the democratic river.

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt.

  • Why Rivers govt must move against violence, by Peterside

    Why Rivers govt must move against violence, by Peterside

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Rivers inferno

    •Yet again, guns boom in Ogoniland. This anomie must be arrested before it is too late

    Just as it was in the run-up to the general elections in Rivers State last year, guns are booming in the run-up to the legislative re-runs, ordered after the courts voided most of the elections into the National Assembly seats in the state; and the state house of assembly.

    From media reports, trouble started on the night of February 22 when a detachment of troops from the 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, stormed the Yeghe community in Gokana Local Government Area of the state. Captain Eli Lazarus, the public relations officer of the brigade, spoke of an ongoing “military operation” in Gokana, details of which he promised to later brief the media.

    But locals in Yeghe disclosed the soldiers were indeed after Solomon Ndigbara, aka Gen. Osama Bin Laden, a former Niger Delta militant, whose boys allegedly engaged the soldiers in gun battle. At the end of it all, the troops allegedly razed Ndigbara’s house, while no less than eight people lost their lives.

    Why troops would raid and raze Ndigbara’s house, the Army has not told anyone. Is he accused of any security breach? And even if he was, is razing his house the solution to correcting that breach?  Nigerians deserve a full briefing from the Army authorities.

    That elements suspected to be Ndigbara’s “boys” foolishly engaged the Army in a shootout appears to reflect the tenuous security situation in the area. Though the loss of lives should be rued and condemned, it would amount to wilful suicide, if indeed the “boys” took on the troops as reported.

    But while an Army/militant tussle is bad enough, its link to political violence is even more worrisome. Again, according to media reports, Ndigbara’s partisans, smarting from the razing of their leader’s house, mobilised to Bori, to torch the campaign headquarters of Senator Magnus Abe, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, in the re-run senatorial election for Rivers South East.

    Now, what is the nexus between a military operation against a former militant and the campaign office of a senatorial candidate? The Ndigbara camp alleged Abe was complicit in the military raid of Ndigbara’s house. So, their razing of his own campaign office somewhat settled scores.

    Linked to surface evidence, the narrative is very dire. The former militant’s camp is suggesting the Army is involved in settling private partisan scores. That would be unfortunate, if true. As retaliation, the militants were claiming a self-gifted right to arson. That is criminal, and should be punished.

    Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike made a tepid statement that the Army were in Ogoniland to secure everyone. Given the tincture of his own controversial election, he didn’t sound convincing to anyone that Gokana is not only a tragic foreplay to another round of insane killings, as the re-run elections draw near, just as it was before the elections in 2015.

    That is why the Federal Government should wade in to reveal what exactly happened. For starters, all the so-called militants involved in the razing of Abe’s campaign office should be rounded up, tried and punished. Then, the troops that razed Ndigbara’s house should also be quizzed by the military to explain why. They should also be punished if found culpable.

    But beyond that, the real reasons for the killing and arson should be unearthed. Is it really a case of partisan retaliation? Or has it to do with other intra-Ogoni disputes, that could snowball into bigger tragedies if not addressed right now and arrested?

    The final verdict in the Rivers State gubernatorial election disappointed not a few. But that shouldn’t encourage a culture of political barbarity, leading to almost systemic shedding of blood, whenever an election approaches.

    That is why the authorities must punish — and severely too — those involved in this Ogoni violence. That should serve as warning to whoever could be planning mayhem, as the re-run elections approach.

  • Rivers: Lest we forget (1)

    Rivers: Lest we forget (1)

    Since the Supreme Court judgment on Rivers State governorship tussle was delivered, the victor, Governor Nyesom Wike, and his men have been in expansive mood. Who wouldn’t be? Victory is sweet.

    On the judgment day, the governor sounded like there was no victor and no vanquished. But it did not last long. In no time, we are told that every January 27 is now a public holiday. The victor said it would be used to mark the anniversary of the day the Supreme Court saved Rivers State from the hands of manipulators. We have also been told that the Wise Men who sat at the tribunal and the Court of Appeal were incompetent. We have been told all kinds of things.

    As I hear these comments, I ask myself if the international observers, including the American embassy, security agencies, reporters and local observers were blind when they reported that what took place in Rivers State last year was no election but a sham. I have also asked myself: does the fact that the apex court said nay to the quest to have the election nullified really mean all we were told by these observers were lies? I have come to the conclusion that it cannot be so. The apex court was just not convinced about the evidence provided. It promises to explain why it took this decision today. The ways of the law are complex.

    And lest we forget, I have decided to revisit the past. This does not affect the fact that I have accepted the position of the apex court and will accord Wike the respect the office deserves. To do otherwise will be promoting anarchy. After all, the oracle has spoken! Obey we must.

    The madness in Rivers started like joke. Peaceful procession became an offence. The police usually descended on peaceful protesters with tear gas canisters depending on their political leaning. When it became glaring that there was favouritism, all forms of procession were banned.

    At the height of the governorship and presidential race, it was one killing after the other. There were cases when more than two members of the same families were killed. In one fell swoop, over 90 suspected cultists were apprehended. You need to see the guns that were seized from them and you will be sorry for Rivers and Nigeria. Those guns should not be in the hands of civilians. They are the types needed to rid the Northeast of Boko Haram.

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) observed in a report that politicians outsourced the punishment of their opponents through fatal deaths to cultists.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) daily traded blames over the killing of the innocent in Rivers. Both bandy figures of casualties on their side. But, to the best of my knowledge, the APC seems to have lost more people to the madness in Rivers. Its rallies in Okrika and other parts of the state were attacked. A policeman was killed in the Okrika incident and many left with broken heads and jaws. A reporter with Channels Television, Charles Eruka, was stabbed for daring to report the Okrika rally that some forces were bent on not allowing for reasons best known to them.

    When the general elections eventually came, observers—local and international— screamed that they were fraud. The media shouted. Almost everybody, except members of the PDP, was alarmed.

    What went down as presidential, National Assembly, governorship and House of Assembly elections in dear Rivers got the people talking, screaming and shouting. The international observers and their local counterparts said so in their reports. The media reflected as much in their coverage.

    The Governorship Tribunal, which sat in Abuja for fear of its members being attacked by those who turned the state to theatre of war (apologies to the Supreme Court), said it was convinced that there was no proper election in the state. It thus nullified the victory of Wike. The other tribunals, in some shades, also confirmed that democracy was cheated in the House of Assembly and National Assembly elections.

    The Appeal Court sealed the coffin on the process that produced almost all the members of the National Assembly. This tidal wave has wiped away the men selected for the people. On March 19, the people will queue again and have the opportunity to choose their true leaders. I have no problem with PDP winning but winning crookedly is what I detest and will detest forever.

    The daylight robbery that took place in the name of polls saw parties that did not even participate in the elections being allotted figures on the result sheets. The thieves were so much in a hurry that they forgot to put the books in good shape. They left trails.

    When the Court of Appeal ruled on the governorship tussle, Prof. Itsay Sagay declared: “Everybody knew that Wike was not elected. Wike got into power through a brutal manner and I have never seen such brutal approach to power except through a coup. What Wike did was a bloody civilian coup, what he did was a big embarrassment to this country and if he had gotten away with it, I tell you that would have been the end to any type of free and fair elections in the South South.”

    He is disappointed and waiting for the reasons to be given today.. While he is waiting, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) is not. Here is its verdict: “As the foremost election observation coalition in the country, we see the Supreme Court judgments as clear cut attempts at legalising electoral robberies. These judgments, particularly on Rivers and Akwa Ibom States, have merely given judicial imprimatur to the damaging mind set of rapacious politicians who would stop at nothing in their bid to subvert the will of the people.”

    The group, which was involved in the monitoring of elections in the two states in the statement by its Chairman, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, added: “For us, it is absolutely shocking that the Supreme Court has decided to act as if it exists in another planet. The TMG is perturbed by the strange legal reasoning that has informed the blank cheque that the court has given to election riggers.

    “We make bold to say that while the legal premise behind these judgments is best known to the apex court, the open reward for electoral impunity does not resonate with the Nigerian people.

    “As the foremost election observation coalition in the country, we see the Supreme Court judgments as clear cut attempts at legalising electoral robberies.

    “What these judgments have effectively done is to ridicule Nigeria in the eyes of the international community, while diminishing our country’s stature in the comity of lovers of democracy around the world.

    “Painfully, the biggest losers are the ordinary people in the states who have been denied their democratic choices on account of the violence and impunity that characterised the polls in those states.

    “In the end, what the Supreme Court has succeeded in doing is to spit on the graves of all those innocent Nigerians who lost their lives as a result of the activities of those hell bent on subverting the will of the people.”

    He added that beyond the justice of the Supreme Court; there is the justice of the Almighty and in “due course, those who wilfully killed and maimed in the desperate bid to capture power, would be held to account.”

    What still pains me is the violence in those elections. Because of this, many are now homeless. Many are now fatherless; many are widows; and many are on wheel chairs, with pellets of bullets lodged in their bones.  Dreams have died and aspirations doomed.

     

  • Oyegun, Rivers poll and Supreme Court

    Oyegun, Rivers poll and Supreme Court

    Following hard on the heels of President Muhammadu Buhari’s complaint in Ethiopia about the headache he was having in aligning the judiciary with his anti-corruption war, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman, Odigie Oyegun, has given the Supreme Court his own spectacular broadside. The ruling party does not seem to mind that it’s rather trenchant views are beginning to look like a coordinated campaign against the judiciary. Speaking at a town hall meeting with Nigerians in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last Sunday, President Buhari noted the stultifying effect the judiciary was having on his anti-graft war. “On the fight against corruption vis-à-vis the judiciary, Nigerians will be right to say that is my main headache for now”, the president was quoted as saying.

    He is not the only one to yield to exasperation and irritation over what they describe as deliberate imposition of judicial bottlenecks. Party chairman, Mr. Oyegun, was even more direct and unambiguous. Addressing party leaders from Rivers State who visited him in Abuja to complain of political and judicial developments in Rivers State, he had said: “The APC national leadership has not neglected party leaders and supporters in Rivers State. The state has always been in the front-burner of discussion and decision in the party. There is obviously something fundamentally wrong in Rivers State which needs to be investigated and addressed. Your visit has had a sober effect on me. This meeting will kick-start urgent actions to address what went wrong. As of today, there is an attempt being made by INEC to bar us from elections in Anambra and other states. We must address these issues. I still find the judgement on the Rivers State governorship election totally astonishing. There is something fundamentally wrong in the judiciary.”

    Not satisfied to just note what seemed to him a juridical anomaly in the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Rivers State governorship election petition, Mr. Oyegun emphasised that the court judgement was astonishing. By suggesting in the same breath that the situation in Rivers State would be investigated and addressed, it was taken by some critics, especially in the PDP, that he was referring to the Supreme Court judgement. He has denied he had the apex court in mind when he talked of investigation or probe. Of course he could not have had the court in mind. For, assuming that were the case, it would not be immediately clear what unprecedented steps he and his party could take to probe the judgement. Even though his statement did not directly refer to the apex court, by suggesting that the Rivers judgement was astonishing, and that something fundamental was wrong with the judiciary, Mr Oyegun may have needlessly courted and stoked controversy. This is because in many ways, unfortunately, the APC government has appeared to orchestrate some kind of pressure on the judiciary, blaming that third arm of government for everything that is amiss with the anti-graft war. This sort of pressure has never before been applied by any elected government in the history of Nigeria, certainly not even under the worst of governments — military, conservative or progressive. Notwithstanding these facts, Mr. Oyegun has promised the Rivers State chapter of the APC that their matter — and it is not clear what matter — would be investigated and addressed.

    If anyone thought what was uppermost in the mind of the APC chairman was jurisprudential anomaly or even his commitment to his party’s ideological conviction, they were grossly mistaken. Something else bothered him; and that thing was materialism, not political or legal altruism. According to Mr. Oyegun, “We have lost very important resource-rich states to the PDP. No matter how crude oil prices have fallen, it is still the most important revenue earner for the country.” Both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to which the APC has eventually lost Rivers at the Supreme Court, and the ruling party, which had won the petition at the Tribunal and Appeal Court levels, do their calculations in terms of rich and poor states. Somehow, they give the impression that much more than what they could do for and with the 36 states in Nigeria, they are propelled more by something much baser, something distinctly unedifying, something quite ordinary in measure, something uninspiringly in naira and kobo.

    Given the orientation of the APC leadership in Abuja, the future of democracy and the judiciary, more than at any other time in the country’s history, will be sandwiched between the president’s headache and the party chairman’s pecuniary projections. It is a future fraught with danger for the third arm of government, a future far more dangerous than they encountered even under military rule. For the APC chairman to talk unprecedentedly of something fundamentally wrong with the judiciary, perhaps because a few judgements went in favour of the opposition, indicates very clearly that he does not fully appreciate the implication of his statement both politically and judicially. Politically, it demonstrates that the APC could be regarded as a bad loser and an increasingly hubristic and intolerant party. Judicially, it suggests the ruling party is not bothered that its attitude to the judiciary could be construed as an indirect attempt to put unhealthy and inimical pressure on the courts.

    Mr. Oyegun will be the third notable personality in the ruling party to openly speak unflatteringly of the judiciary. The unlikely first person to do so was the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, who alluded to the need to purge the judiciary of bad eggs in order to align it with the government’s anti-graft war. He had said: “As we may be aware, this administration promised Nigerians that it will promptly address the challenges facing our nation in the three areas of corruption, economy and security. Let no one be in doubt, the legitimate expectation of Nigerians in this regard shall be met. In this regard therefore, I am reiterating that the fight against corruption shall be total and will not exclude judicial officers, who are found wanting. After all, it is beyond doubt that a corrupt judge cannot meaningfully contribute to the fight against corruption. In reality, it cannot be over-emphasised that systemic corruption and impunity are prevalent in Nigeria, and that they cut across all sectors of the society, unfortunately, including the judiciary  an institution that is universally believed to be the hope of the common man.” Mr. Malami was criticised for his harsh view of the judiciary.

    The president himself also indicated that there were “allegations of judicial corruption…dilatory tactics by lawyers sometimes with the apparent collusion of judges to stall trials indefinitely thereby denying the state and the accused persons of a judicial verdict…and negative perception arising from long delays in the trial process that have damaged the international reputation of the Nigerian judiciary, even among its international peers.” After referring to the judiciary’s pace and style as the headache he was suffering in his anti-corruption war, it is not surprising that the APC chairman felt confident to speak of something fundamentally wrong with the judiciary. Clearly, the judiciary is in trouble.

    It is curious of Mr. Oyegun and damaging to the APC’s credibility that though the Supreme Court was yet to give reasons for the judgement in the Rivers case, party leaders have come to a conclusion that astonishing or fundamentally wrong things were happening in the judiciary. A significant number of Nigerians, more out of ignorance than anything else, are also exasperated with the judiciary. They complain of curious judgements, slow delivery of justice, undue and unnecessary adjournments, etc. But neither the complainants nor the grumbling and intimidating federal government has carried out an in-depth study of why the judiciary appears unresponsive to the demands of the moment. The judiciary has suffered appalling and disgraceful declining budgetary allocations over the past five years, and it is understaffed, overworked and poorly equipped. In most of the states, there is no financial autonomy, and virtually everywhere, prosecuting agencies nurturing secretive interests bungle cases so horribly that justice could not be served. Yet, inexplicably, all the problems are heaped on judges.

    The ruling APC appears sadly bent on whipping up emotions against the judiciary. This is counterproductive and unwise. If, as Mr. Oyegun suggests, the decisions of the Supreme Court in the Rivers case and perhaps other cases are astonishing, who will make it less astonishing? Retired justices? And if hypothetically, a few things are found amiss in any of the judgements, could it be established they were procured by financial inducement, political bias or plain incompetence? And even if any of these is established, who would reverse the decisions? The APC must measure its responses before they provoke a judicial crisis. The judicial reforms they speak so fluently about, but which they have not presented any concrete plan nor voted substantial money for, should precede their lust for blood. They must not create conditions where one day mobs of dissatisfied and agitated litigants and party faithful would storm the courts, eject judges and create a judicial and even existential stalemate for Nigeria.

     

  • Rivers: What next for PDP, APC?

    Rivers: What next for PDP, APC?

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct supplementary parliamentary elections in Rivers State next month. BISI OLANIYI writes on the preparations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the polls.

    The supplementary parliamentary elections ordered by the court will hold in Rivers State next month. The outgoing Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dame Khan, promised that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a credible exercise.

    The REC has been moved to Cross River State while her counterpart in Delta State, Aniedi Ikoiwak, is taking over in Rivers, as directed by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu. Nine RECs were affected in the shake-up.

    The rerun will be held for 22 of 32 House of Assembly seats, 12 of 13 House of Representatives and the three senatorial seats.

    The constituencies where election will not hold are Abua/Odual, Ahoada West, Etche One, Khana One, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika, Oyigbo, Port Harcourt One and Three. Ahoada West/Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Constituency is also not affected by the rerun.

    Khan disclosed that 2,148,289 voters would be expected to vote in the reruns while 6,806 card readers would be deployed.

    The Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Chief Felix Obuah, who is also the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accused the INEC of conniving with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to secretly fix the date, to put the other political parties at a disadvantaged position.

    Obuah rejected the earlier date for the rerun and threatened that the PDP and other members of IPAC would boycott the elections, should INEC insist on February 6.

    The Chairman of the APC, Chief Davies, Ikanya, however, dismissed Obuah’s allegation as baseless, spurious and should be discountenanced.

    The 2015 general elections in Rivers State were characterised by massive rigging and violence, leading to the death of no fewer than 100 innocent persons, with INEC declaring almost all the candidates of the PDP winners of the polls.

    The candidates who lost at the elections, mostly APC members, filed petitions at the election petitions tribunals sitting in Abuja for security reason. Many of them got favourable judgments, while those who lost approached the Court of Appeal, Abuja, the final point for state and National Assembly petitions.

    The governorship candidate of the APC, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, also approached the tribunal and he got a favourable judgment on October 24 last year. But, his PDP counterpart, Chief Nyesom Wike, who was declared winner of the poll, proceeded to the appellate court, which on December 16, last year affirmed Peterside’s victory.

    The tribunal and appellate court insisted that the failed to comply substantially with the requirements of the Electoral Act.

    Wike approached the Supreme Court, which in a unanimous judgment, pronounced him the duly-elected governor of Rivers state on January 27, while the seven Justices, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, promised to give details of the judgment on February 12.

    Shortly after information about Wike’s victory at the apex court filtered into Rivers State, supporters of the governor started jubilating and celebrating.

    Wike, a former Minister of State for Education, was not left out of the celebration as he trekked on major streets of Port Harcourt before returning to the Government House.

    He was greeted by joyous people, who continually cheered him.

    The governor assured that his victory at the Supreme Court would lead to greater delivery of democracy dividends across the 23 local government areas and that the victory was for democracy, the rule of law and Rivers people.

    Wike extended a hand of fellowship to Peterside, a former member of the House of Representatives, to join his administration to develop the state.

    He also lauded the standard bearer of the APC in the state for approaching the judiciary, rather than resorting to violence or self-help, while assuring that Rivers people would continue to benefit from the pro-people projects and programmes of his administration.

    Peterside, however, maintained that the legal battle instituted was not merely because he wanted power for its sake; but against the virus of electoral violence, that had been thwarting the will of the people.

    The APC candidate that he and his associates fought a good fight and won some of the legal battles along the way, while lauding the legal team for the diligence with which the members conducted the case, in the legal odyssey that spanned approximately ten months.

    Peterside said: “Our decision to serve Rivers State was borne out of a passion to uplift our people; to clothe them with dignity on the twin planks of social and economic prosperity. We anchored this promise on the platform of unity. Consequently, we never ceased to remind ourselves that we are greater together.

    “We shall do our best to work for the peace and development of Rivers State and all who reside in it. We shall creatively offer our help to Governor Nyesom Wike. We will provide a virile opposition, serving as a mirror for the conscience of government, in the interest of Rivers people. When encouragement is needed towards a just and proper course of dealings, we will offer our commendation to the government.

    “Conversely, we will constructively express objection to policies and actions we consider inimical to the overall interest of Rivers people. It is our hope that Governor Wike and his team will appreciate the suggestions and proposals that would be made in the interest of Rivers people.”

    Peterside also thanked God and persons who supported him and his associates during the long and arduous journey in the political evolution of the state.

    Obuah urged APC members to accept Wike’s invitation for collective efforts to move Rivers forward.

    Obuah stressed the Rivers governor’s extension of hand of fellowship to the APC members was borne out of open-mindedness, genuine love for all, irrespective of party affiliations and a burning desire to lift the state from a primordial base of precarious politics.

    Ikanya, however, described the judgment of the Supreme Court as a temporary setback.

    He assured that members of the APC would soon re-assert their pride of place, adding that it would surely end in praise.

    Ikanya said: “While we are neither applauding nor condemning the decision of the apex court, we can only give thanks and adoration to God Almighty, whose wisdom surpasses that of man.

    “The APC will like to thank all our candidates in the race for senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly rerun. The party urges them to remain steadfast, resilient and work hard, along with the party, to ensure that we win all the forthcoming reruns.”

    He also urged the loyal members of the party to continue to resist the impunity, temptation and enticement of the PDP, while remaining resolute in service to the APC.

    The party leader admonished members of the party, especially relatives of the people who lost their loved ones before, during and after the 2015 electoral violence, that the justice denied them by man, would still be granted by God, the ultimate judge.

    Ikanya declared that Rivers APC would continue to play the role of a responsible opposition party, by protecting the people’s common interests and provide the bridge between the people and the APC’s Federal Government.

    He urged persons, who recently saw the light and joined the party to serve Rivers people, to know that they made the right decision, while also calling for unity.

    The tasks ahead of the political parties, most especially the PDP and APC, are enormous.

    With only 10 members currently in the House of Assembly, filling the remaining 22 seats will be a test of strength. The APC members ready to prove that the party is still popular, while members of the PDP will also want to show dominance.

    Foreign observers described the elections as a sham. INEC and its officials have great roles to play to ensure free, fair and credible reruns, where the electorate’s votes will count, rather than imposing leaders on them through violence and rigging.

    The security agencies must also prevent another round of bloodbath, while the youths should refuse being used by politicians as thugs.

  • Supreme Court verdict averted bloodshed in Rivers, says Ateke Tom

    • Supports Buhari’s anti corruption crusade

    A former leader of a Niger/Delta militant group, Ateke Tom, has said the verdict of the apex court that affirmed the victory of Nyesom Wike as the governor of Rivers State averted bloodshed and killings that could have happened in re-run election in the state.

    Ateke, who spoke yesterday at his family house in Ngeme-Biri Komju, Okrika Local Government Area of the state, alleged that killings, rape, intimidation and harassment of innocent people were already ongoing before the Supreme Court judgment, adding that the rulling has reduced tension in the state.

    “Rivers State was set for another bloody killings before the judgment. If you look at the security situation in the state, you will understand that killings, rape, intimidation injustice and harassment were ongoing before the Supreme Court verdict.

    He warned youths of the region to desist from any act capable of sabotaging the economy of the country, and cautioned youths in the state who are planning to hijack the national and state House of Assemblies elections in the state to give peace a chance.

    He also urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign, stressing that the president is a nice man.