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Tag: Rotimi Amaechi

  • Oshiomhole’s statement on Rivers being twisted, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday lashed out at a section of media, accusing it of twisting the statement on the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to suit what it described as a jaundiced narrative.

    The party said there was no disagreement between the Oshiomhole the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on the adoption of the governorship candidate of the AAC for the governorship election in Rivers state.

    National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu said in a statement that while the party has no formal alliance with the African Action Congress (AAC), that has not for closed any local arrangement that may have been made by any local chapter of the party.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to some reports in the media purporting a disagreement between the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi over the alignment of the Rivers State APC with the governorship candidate of the AAC, Awara Biokpomabo.

    Read Also: We won’t share power with PDP, says Oshiomhole

    “It is regrettable that the APC National Chairman’s statement is being twisted to suit a jaundiced narrative. This narrative is at best, mischievous, pedestrian and should be disregarded.

    “The APC Chairman’s statement is unambiguous as to the effect that the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) does not have any formal alliance with AAC. This is without prejudice to any local arrangement that may exist.

    “Both Oshiomhole and Ameachi are above the petty insinuations being orchestrated by a section of the Media. Like many leaders of the party, APC National Chairman, Comrade Oshiomhole and the Minister of Transport, Hon. Amaechi enjoys cordial relationship and do share mutual respect; therefore, deliberate misinterpretation of issues and statements from the party or between the two of them would continue to fail.”

     

     

     

  • PDP cautions AGF Malami on Rivers election

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the Attorney General and Minister of Justice (AGF) Abubakar Malami SAN, against attempts to scuttle the collation of results of the March 9 governorship election in Rivers State.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had suspended collation of the results as a result of the violence that characterised the election. The commission has fixed April 2-5 for the resumption of collation and declaration of winner.

    But in a statement, Sunday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party said Malami must exercise restraint and should not allow himself to be used to foist any unconstitutional act regarding the Rivers election.

    The party hinged its caution to Malami on alleged statement by the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, to the effect that AGF Malami was working on how to write to the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu directing him to stop the collation of the Rivers election results.

    The PDP reminded Malami that there is no provision of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) or any part of the Electoral Act 2010 (as Amended) that, in anyway, empowers the AGF to interfere or stop the process of election until declaration of result is made.

    Read also: APA to Buhari: don’t forget your promise to run inclusive govt

    “It is imperative for the AGF to note that Rotimi Amaechi, in his desperation, will want to rope him in and use him to cause a constitutional crisis that has the capacity to derail our democracy.

    “The constitution and laws of our nation are clear on the powers and statutory functions of the Attorney General and that he has no powers to interfere in the conduct of elections or direct the stoppage of an electoral process.

    “The AGF should, therefore, distance himself from the ignoble scheme by Rotimi Amaechi to cause trouble in Rivers state by attempting to scuttle the collation of results in the Rivers governorship election, which has been clearly won by the PDP and Governor Nyesom Wike”, the statement added.

    The PDP also charged INEC to save the nation any constitutional crisis by asserting its independence in concluding the collation process as well as respecting the will of the people.

  • Railway interconnectivity may gulp $40bn – Amaechi

    Nigeria needs between US$36 to $40 billion to actualise the rail connectivity to all state capitals, the Minister of Transportation Mr Rotimi Amaechi said on Friday.

    Amaechi while fielding questions on reasons for the slowdown in the Lagos – Calabar coastal rail said, though the project was awarded by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, the government does not have the money to handle it.

    He said: “The Lagos-Calabarrail has been awarded but we have not gotten money. We are even still looking for money for Lagos to Kano. I come from South-South and I am emotionally attached to that project but it is unfortunate that we have not gotten money. It was awarded under President Jonathan and President Obasanjo awarded the Lagos-Kano rail line. The directive of the President is that we should do everything possible to get the interconnectivity of the tracks and like I tell Nigerians, everybody has to be patient because we need between $36 to $40 billion to be able to do that connectivity.

    “Those who are criticising Buhari must remember that there was a point in time we had money and we were all enjoying that money by way of corruption.  Now you people are harrasing us and asking where is the money.

    “So, it is a bit difficult.  We are trying to meet the challenges we are facing, finding solutions to them according to the directive of the President but Nigerians must realize that these challenges are only resolved by funds and those funds are not just readily available.”

    Addressing the progress on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, Amaechi expressed satisfaction.

    He said though President Muhmadu Buhari could ride on the train by end of May, yet, the works that are outstanding are still enormous.

    He said: “Yes, if Mr President want to ride on the train he could do by end of May, by which time, the dual tracks would have been laid to Ibadan all the way from Lagos, but that is not the focus. We are concerned not only with tracks, but in providing the stations. Put the trains on the tracks and build an efficient communications system.”

    Amaechi was accompanied on the trip by the Ghanaian Minister for Rail Development Mr Joe Ghartey, who led a high powered delegation that included the Deputy Managing Director (Engineering) Ghana Railway Corporation Mr Michael Anyeta Adjei, officials of CCECC Ghana and Team Consultants Ghana.

    Also on the trip are the Senate Committee Chairman on Land Transport Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the NRC MD, Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director Nigeria Zhiopers Council Mr Ahmed Hassan, and top officials of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, led by the Director of Rail Mr Babakobi.

    Amaechi said though the contractor failed to lay the tracks to kilometre 92 as agreed at its last meeting, he was happy that the substructure of the track platform had been laid to kilometre 98, while he has been a assured that track laying can get to kilometre 101 by first week of April.

    Ghartey, the Ghanaian Minister of Rail Development praised his Nigerian Colleague for what he called “his infectious optimism and commitment” to the project.

    He said it is impressive that the project is ahead of deadline by one year.

    “I want to assure you that we would go back home and replicate what we have seen here in Nigeria,” he said.

    He said he and his team are in Nigeria to learn from the Nigerian government as well as CCECC Nigeria because “we are about completing the negotiations ahead of the construction of 100 kilometre standard gauge line between Tema and Takoradi.”

    He added, “I’ve told your minister that I am very impressed about the giant strides going on in Nigeria and I will drive my people so hard to beat his record. And when we complete ours too, I with invite him and the Nigerian media.”

    Ashafa in his remarks allayed fears that the project may be abandoned. Hr said the National Assembly will continue to throw its weight Into ensuring that this project is delivered for the benefit of Nigerians.

    Nigerian Shippers Council MD Mr Ahmed Hassan expressed happiness that the project is on course. He said for the movement of goods and services the train remains the best alternative and would give truckers a huge relief.

  • Amaechi, Ghanaian transport chief to inspect train project

    Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and his Ghanaian colleague, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, will be touring the Lagos-Ibadan speed train site tomorrow.

    It will be Asiamah’s first visit with his Nigerian colleague, since the $1.7 billion project began in June, 2017.

    The 156-kilometre long construction is being handled by the Chinese multinational corporation, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

    The two ministers will also be joined on the tour by the members of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, led by its chairman Senator Gbenga Ashafa, top management of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and top government officials from Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states.

    Read also: Amaechi apologises to Nigerians over suspension of free Iju-Abeokuta train ride

    Others to accompany them are the members of the technical implementation committee, led by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Fidet Okhiria and the project supervising consultants.

    It will be Amaechi’s second visit this month, having earlier visited on March 8, when he issued a marching order to CCECC to get the rail tracks laid to kilometre 120, some 36 kilometres to the heart of Ibadan.

  • Ignore vituperations of defecting Yeeh in Rivers – Tonye Cole

    The governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Pastor Tonye Cole, has urged well-meaning Rivers indigenes to ignore the vituperations of deputy governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers, Chief Akpo Yeeh, who resigned on Monday and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Cole, who spoke in Port Harcourt through the spokesman of his campaign organisation, Ogbonna Nwuke, declared Yeeh’s view was skewed by the N200 million cash given to him by Governor Nyesom Wike of PDP.

    The co-founder of Sahara Group (Cole) said: “It is pertinent to note that neither the APC nor the Minister for Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has in any way interfered with the internal organisation of the AAC.

    “We are aware that Yeeh, whose appetite for sudden wealth has overtaken reason, is not the author of the script that he read in his Port Harcourt residence on Monday.

    “We sympathise with Yeeh, a self-avowed young politician, whose hunt for a meal ticket has led him to mortgage his conscience for mess of porridge.

    “It is indeed laughable that the crafted statement delivered claims that the Minister for Transportation had insisted that he would appoint 90 per cent of the commissioners, 23 local government council chairmen, in an undated resignation address served to the public.

    READ ALSO: I’ll pursue my case further after Saturday’s poll – Tonye Cole

    “We are not shocked by the lies that Yeeh served the public, in order to put food on his table. It is consistent with the propaganda slant of the PDP, used to deceive the people and deflect the attention of the Nigerian people from the fact that PDP’s candidates lost horribly in the field, because of the resolve of Rivers people to effect a change.

    “Wike and other leaders of PDP are determined to steal Rivers people’s mandate through unparalleled bribery of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other institutions.

    “Institutions that Wike and other PDP leaders have been unable to bribe are understandably at the apex of their criticisms. These institutions include the Nigerian Army, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the APC.”

    Cole also stated that he was at a loss on how a coalition between the APC and the AAC could be interpreted to mean an attempt to cause crisis in Rivers, insisting the interest of the state far outstrips the interest of an individual.

    He said: “It is obvious that what is critical at this time is the quest to deliver unto Rivers people, a government that is transparent, accountable, responsible, focused and committed to their welfare.

    “We wish to state unequivocally that political parties in this country and elsewhere in the world enjoy the right to enter into coalition with any party of their choice, for the purpose of forming a government of state or national unity, which will deliver dividends of democracy and serve the overall interest of the people.

    “It is important to observe that Yeeh’s name is already on the ballot. The sponsors of the malicious publication targeted against the Minister for Transportation against the backdrop of the defection of an unserious and hungry politician should take copious note of the decision of INEC to refuse the exit from the presidential race of Dr Oby Ezekwesiele.”

  • Fed Govt to tackle waterway’s criminalities with Deep Blue project

    Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi has reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to rid the the nation’s territorial waters of criminalities through the integrated security and waterways protection infrastructure, otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project.

    Amaechi dropped the hint in Lagos during the graduation for participants of the C4I Intelligence System Operator Course for the Deep Blue Project.

    The event was attended by the top echelons of the Nigerian Armed Forces, led by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Gabriel Olonisakin represented by Rear Admiral A. Akinrinade.

    Amaechi stated that the 853-kilometre long Nigeria coastline and the country’s location in the Gulf of Guinea made it strategic for both maritime activities and security issues.

    Represented by the Director, Maritime Safety and Security, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dajuma Dauda, the minister said: “The length of our coastline, our exclusive economic zone, as well as our strategic location on a major shipping route, which is the Gulf of Guinea, means that we cannot afford illegalities, such as piracy, oil theft, sea robbery, and other crimes.

    “The Deep Blue Project is a conscious effort towards addressing illegality in our territorial waters and, indeed, the Gulf of Guinea.”

    In his welcome address, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said the Deep Blue Project would drastically reduce criminalities in the Gulf of Guinea.

  • Amaechi apologises to Nigerians over suspension of free Iju-Abeokuta train ride

    The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on Friday apologised to Nigerians over the suspension of the  Iju-Abeokuta free train ride during the 2019 general elections.

    Amaechi tendered the apology during the monthly rail inspection of the Lagos-Ibadan modernisation project in Ibadan.

    He said that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) suspended the three months free train ride due to security and safety of passengers.

    “It was suspended by the Chinese and the excuse they gave me was that they cannot allow it run because of safety, since they have not completed the second line but they are almost through with it.

    “It is almost completed from Iju to Abeokuta. I want to apologise to Nigerians that they suspended it when they left the country, which I didn’t envisage, they will go back soon,” Amechi said.

    Speaking on his passion for the project, Amaechi said that the responsibility was given to him by  President Muhammadu Buhari, which must be delivered to create jobs and boost the economy.

    “I know you will say I’m stressed up but as a minister, I have a responsibility passed to me by Mr President and I must deliver on it.

    “Also, the economy of Nigeria can be driven most importantly,  if we can link the seaport to hinterland because when cargoes come, they must go.

    “The more you are able to move goods and services to hinterland, the more you will create jobs and the more you create jobs, the more growth that you will have and that is my drive,” he said.

    The minister, however, said that he was always passionate about his job, stating that if a new minister would takeover,  his was sure that the person would have the passion to complete the project.

    “You see, me and passion, if you watched me as the governor of Rivers,  that same passion was there. I was restless at delivering my responsibility.

    “I pray that whoever will be the Minister of Transportation should have the same passion and focus on that responsibility.

    “You can never tell, that passion is everywhere,” he said.(NAN)

  • Heavy gunshots in Amaechi’s LGA

    Heavy gunshots by political thugs and security personnel in Isiokpo, the headquarters of Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State Saturday afternoon, led to disruption of voting for many hours, while normalcy is yet to be restored.

    Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, who is the leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state and Southsouth zone, hails from Ikwerre LGA, but he is an indigene of Ubima.

    APC members in Rivers voted for the governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara, an engineer and a riverine man from Kula-Kalabari in Akuku-Toru LGA of the state, as well as other candidates of AAC, in view of the court orders, which prevented Pastor Tonye Cole and other APC’s candidates from vying in the elections.

     

  • Fear of fresh violence grips Rivers residents

    Residents of the 23 local government areas in Rivers State are gripped by fear of another round of violence during today’s governorship and House of Assembly elections. And the residents, particularly those at the ‘war zones’ during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections, have every reason to panic, considering the avoidable loss of lives and property they had experienced in previous elections.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja on March 5, the Minister of Transportation and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, described as deadly the ambition of his former Chief of Staff and now Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to continue in office.

    Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and leader of APC in the state and the Southsouth zone, as well as the Director-General of Buhari/Osinbajo Re-election Campaign Organisation, believes that his successor (Wike) is desperate to remain in office at all costs.

    Wike, an ex-Minister of State for Education, however, alleged that his former benefactor (Amaechi), who recommended him in 2011 to the then President Goodluck Jonathan for ministerial appointment, should be blamed for the death and injury of many innocent persons during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections in the state, no matter the amount of crocodile tears he sheds, describing his former boss as a purveyor of violence.

    On March 6, Amaechi, while addressing members of APC and supporters of the party in Eleme, Eleme Local Government Area (LGA), asked them and other people in the state to massively vote for the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Awara Biokpomabo, an engineer and a riverine man from Kula-Kalabari in Akuku-Toru LGA of the state, in today’s governorship election.

    The transportation minister noted that although the main opposition APC in Rivers was still in court over the non-inclusion of the party’s governorship standard bearer, Pastor Tonye Cole, an indigene of Abonnema-Kalabari in Akuku-Toru LGA, on the ballot, he stressed that it was pertinent to adopt the candidate of AAC, considering the closeness of the governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    He said: “In the morning of March 6, the leadership of the party met and agreed that we would work with a party called African Action Congress while we are still in court to reclaim our mandate.

    “So, on Saturday (today), we will vote for AAC. You must go home and vote for AAC. There should be no excuse not to vote, because there will be security for everybody. You must prepare and make sure you win the governorship election.”

    Amaechi also assured that the moment the governorship election was won by AAC’s candidate today and he is inaugurated on May 29, 2019, by June this year, there would be local government chairmanship and councillorship elections.

    Wike, however, stated that he and other members of PDP in Rivers State were not worried over APC members’ backing the governorship candidate of AAC, boasting that he would record a landslide victory in view of his developmental projects and his empowerment of the people in the 23 LGAs of the state.

     

    Echoes of violence

    Trouble had started in the state two days to the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections, when the governor raised the alarm that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, was planning to assassinate him and also help the leaders of APC in the state to rig the polls.

    The GOC, however, described Wike, a lawyer, as a liar and blackmailer, insisting that the allegations were senseless and childish.

    On February 23, a chieftain of APC, Chief Mowan Etete, a two-term Chairman of Andoni LGA, the local government area of the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, was shot dead by political thugs around 9 a.m. in his house in Asarama, Andoni LGA, along with his elder brother. Etete, also a former Vice-Chairman of PDP in Rivers State and former Special Adviser to Wike on Political Matters, defected to the APC last October. The APC chieftain and his elder brother were killed after the gunmen scaled the fence of Etete’s compound and rained bullets on them at close range while they were holding a meeting with some people, some of whom were also injured. The invaders escaped without taking any item from the house. Etete had narrowly escaped assassination a few hours before the February 16 presidential and National Assembly elections, which were postponed till February 23.

    The Public Relations Officer (PRO), Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the personnel of the command were on the trail of the killers of Etete and his elder brother, expressing optimism that they would soon be arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrence to other criminals.

    The presidential and National Assembly elections in Rivers State were also marred by sporadic gunshots across the 23 LGAs in the state. There were heavy gunshots in Ubima, Ikwerre LGA, the hometown of Amaechi and another former Rivers governor, Sir Celestine Omehia (of PDP), with voters, residents, journalists and other people scampering to safety. Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika LGA, the hometown of a former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and Bonny Island also witnessed gunshots, making it impossible for the Electoral Officer in Bonny LGA, Eze Ukachukwu, to distribute voting materials.

    There were non-stop gunshots in Abonnema-Kalabari, the headquarters of Akuku-Toru LGA of Rivers State, the hometown of governorship candidate of APC, Pastor Tonye Cole, and his counterpart in Accord Party, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs. The heavy shootings in Abonnema started in the night of February 22 and continued through out February 23, with the intention of scaring away the electorate and personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    An ally of Wike, Emma Okah, a lawyer, who is the Director of Information and Communications of Rivers PDP Campaign Council and doubles as the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, claimed that 15 PDP members were shot dead by soldiers in Abonnema.

    INEC later decided to reschedule the Akuku-Toru and Bonny LGAs’ elections till March 9.

    While reacting to the violence in Abonnema, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, disclosed that gallant troops of the Nigerian Army fought their way through the siege and, in the process, killed six of the assailants but lost a Lieutenant in the encounter.

    Musa said: “Information reaching the headquarters of the Nigerian Army revealed that troops of 6 Division on a legitimate duty of protecting lives and property of law-abiding citizens and ensuring a conducive environment for peaceful conduct of 2019 general elections in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru LGA, Rivers State, were attacked by some hoodlums.

    “The pre-planned attack occurred between Charles and Bob-Manuel’s compounds in Abonnema town at about 1 pm on 23rd February, 2019.

    “The attackers barricaded a major road into the town and laid an ambush in the adjoining built- up areas, from where they opened fire on our unsuspecting troops when they attempted to remove the barricade. Preliminary investigation indicated that one Rowland Sekibo the Chairman Akuku-Toru LGA, Omodo the CSO Akuku-Toru LGA and Kenneth of Kula currently at large (all of PDP), were the masterminds of the unexpected/unprovoked attack.”

    The army spokesman also stated that the perpetrators of the ambush would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

    Responding at a news briefing in Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike accused Amaechi, the GOC 6 division and Commander of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Rivers State, Akin Fakorede, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), of being responsible for the February 23 violence; an allegation they denied outright.

    Wike said: “All our fears and concerns for the peaceful conduct of the general elections in Rivers State were completely vindicated as the army literarily took over the conduct of the general elections and aided armed thugs of the APC to prevent distribution of election materials, disrupt voting, snatch election materials and chase away PDP agents from collation centres across the state.

    “In Abonnema, a criminal declared wanted by the state, christened Don Pedro, led a band of APC armed thugs to the Local Govern ment’s Registration Area Centre (RAC) to forcibly stop the distribution of election materials to the various wards and units of Akuku-Toru LGA.

    “​The people of the community (Abonnema) resisted and insisted on having the opportunity to exercise their rights to vote for the party and candidates of their choice.

    “However, instead of disarming and arresting the APC armed thugs to prevent the general elections from being scuttled, the soldiers intervened on the side of APC militia, and in the ensuing confusion and confrontation, killed 15 innocent persons and wounded several others. ​

    “The soldiers are ravaging the entire Abonnema community and killing young men found in their homes.”

    On February 26, the GOC, 6 division, paraded Wike’s Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Dr. Reason Onya, and the representative of Ahoada West constituency in Rivers House of Assembly, Nwanaka Okpokiri, also of PDP, for rigging February 23 elections in the state.

    The Camp Commandant of Government House, Port Harcourt, Oyoku Ifelle, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP); Major Akpoge Peter Ubah of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt and 31 others, including policemen, thugs and ad hoc staff of INEC, including two women, were also paraded on February 26.

    The GOC disclosed that a lot of manoeuvres by political actors were witnessed in the division’s Area of Responsibility (AOR), covering Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states, during the February 23 polls.

    Maj.-Gen. Sarham said: “Equally of grave concern is the daring attempt by the Governor of Rivers State to compromise security agencies, particularly troops of 6 Division, with hefty financial inducements to help him in his illegitimate act of thwarting a free and fair electoral process to his favour, while accusing the Nigerian Army and its command hierarchy of bias daily.

    “Apparently, Governor Wike must have underestimated the Nigerian Army’s commitment to being professionally responsive in the discharge of our constitutional roles.

    “The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has over time reiterated and demonstrated the Nigerian Army’s resolve to being apolitical, neutral and unbiased. He (COAS) has also left no one in doubt of our total and absolute loyalty to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the President/Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (President Muhammadu Buhari).

    “No amount of cheap blackmail and unsubstantiated allegations will make us bulge. While we do not intend to take issues with anyone, however, it has become expedient to bring to the notice of the general public the actual reasons behind Governor Wike’s attrition against the Nigerian Army and its leadership, with the hope that he will finally sheathe his sword and publicly apologise to the Nigerian Army, as we present the shocking discoveries.”

    All the 35 suspects were handed over to the Deputy Commissioner in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of Rivers Police Command, Ahmed Kontagora, who represented Rivers Commissioner of Police, Usman Belel.

     

    Tales of electoral fraud

    On March 1, at 6 Division, a youth corps member, Tuatimi James Powell, revealed how leaders of PDP in Rivers State sent thugs who forced him and 10 other colleagues (corps members) at gunpoint to Greenside Hotel in Bodo-Ogoni, Gokana LGA of Rivers to rig the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Powell, who was a Presiding Officer (PO) of INEC, said he and other youth corps members had horrifying experiences in the hands of the PDP thugs, who bundled all of them into a waiting bus amid sporadic gunshots and moved them to the hotel while still shooting.

    The youth corps member revealed that on getting to the hotel, the PDP leaders and their thugs forced them, at gunpoint, to fill fictitious results on INEC’s result sheets forcibly taken from him and other corps members, while also forcing them to sign the documents.

    Corroborating Powell, an Assistant Presiding Officer (APO) of INEC, Michael Kponeh, disclosed that the ad hoc staff and other officials of INEC were held hostage by the PDP thugs in Bodo-Ogoni in Gokana LGA and made to do their bidding at gunpoint.

    The 11 corps members were paraded along with 42 other suspects, totalling 53, by the GOC 6 Division, who was represented by the Garrison Commander of 6 Division Garrison, Brig.-Gen. Adeola Kalejaiye, and assisted by 6 Division’s Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Aminu Iliyasu.

    Maj.-Gen. Sarham said: “Items recovered from the hotel were 34 ballot boxes loaded with ballot papers, three card readers, ten bags containing electoral materials and a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number: Lagos: EQ 171 KRD.”

    The GOC also disclosed that 13 political thugs were arrested in Harris Town, Degema LGA, Rivers State on February 21, ahead of February 23 elections.

    Also paraded on March 1 was Gogo Meshack of Asarama in Andoni LGA of Rivers State, who was arrested with 142 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and other electoral materials by troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army on February 24, on his way from Asarama to Port Harcourt.

    All the 53 suspects were handed over to Victor Onyeugo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Rivers Police Command, with Onyeugo assuring that personnel of Rivers State police command would ensure further investigation of the suspects and prosecution of the indicted ones.

    On March 5, the GOC again paraded 14 more suspects who were arrested for violence in Akuku-Toru and Obio/Akpor LGAs during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections, with the suspects received by Onyeugo on behalf of the state’s police command. Exactly a week after the Lieutenant was killed in Abonnema, two more soldiers, who were part of the troops stationed to maintain peace in the Kalabari City (Abonnema) were gunned down by hoodlums at the Obonoma-Abonnema Junction, with the criminals carting away the soldiers’ rifles.

    The Coordinator of APC’s Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Pastor Tonye Cole, accused Wike of being hell-bent on clinging to power at any cost, even taking human lives. He also assured that the Federal Government would seek justice for the families of persons who were killed on February 23 across the 23 LGAs, no matter how long it would take.

    Cole, who is also the Rivers governorship candidate of APC, at a news conference in Port Harcourt, expressed condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the Niger Delta state during the presidential and National Assembly polls.

    He said: “Over the past few days, Rivers State has once again been in the headlines globally for all the wrong reasons. It has been my personal plea and mantra, as well as that of the APC that the violence meted out to our members and citizens of the state in 2015, and immediately thereafter, has no place in any modern society, especially one that desperately needs to grow economically and develop for the betterment of its people. We have called for peace and peaceful elections at every stage.

    “I have been shocked and saddened by statements and comments attributed to Wike that Prof. Charles Dokubo-Quakers (Coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme/Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs), Prince Tonye Princewill (APC chieftain) and I are responsible for the carnage and deaths in Abonnema on February 23. These malicious and unfounded allegations are being investigated and our lawyers will advise on possible libel suits to take against those who have peddled these wicked falsehoods.

    “For anyone willing to expose the truth, the task is relatively easy and the motive particularly clear. Nigerians in their vast numbers were shocked to learn of militant kingpins that were rewarded for their roles in the 2015 elections with positions in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Local Government Councils and State Government appointments by the Rivers State Government. This is common knowledge and the names of these individuals are known to many.

    “In Akuku-Toru LGA in particular, Hon. Rowland Sekibo, currently at large, is the Chairman of the LGA, and under his watch, Abonnema was brazenly under the control of several deadly cult groups. Like in several LGAs across the state and operating under the cover of the Local Government Authority, militarised cult groups have held Akuku- The oil magnate (Lulu-Briggs), who until September 28, 2018, was a governorship aspirant on the platform of APC, also accused Rivers governor of using primitive tactics, especially by sponsoring Mr. Precious Baridoo, who is claiming to be Accord Party’s governorship candidate in the state, and trying to cause confusion in Accord Party by sponsoring litigation at Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Obile, as he earlier did in APC, where he sponsored many court cases against Cole.

    Wike, through Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, who doubles as the Director of Information and Communications of Rivers PDP Campaign Council, however, denied causing confusion in Accord Party, APC and other political parties, claiming that his “impressive” performance across Rivers’ 23 LGAs would earn him re-election.

    The House of Representatives’ candidate of the APC for Okrika/Ogu-Bolo constituency of Rivers state, Mrs. Maureen Tamuno, assured that in spite of the challenges and court cases, members of the party in Rivers were preparing for the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    She hinted that ahead of March 9 polls, there would be the need for realignment, to be directed by the leader of APC in Rivers and Southsouth zone (Amaechi).

    Tamuno, a former Chairman of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Council, stated these on March 3 at a thanksgiving service at St. Martin’s Anglican Church, Ogu, the headquarters of Ogu/Bolo LGA of Rivers, to appreciate God on the victory of President Buhari.

    She said: “We did our best and our contributions brought about the victory for President Buhari. We are celebrating and rejoicing. We know that President Buhari will not forget the people of Okrika/Ogu-Bolo federal constituency who have stood strong for him, despite all the problems that we are facing.”

    Tamuno assured that APC members in Rivers would exercise their franchise on March 9.

    Rivers governor, however, asked APC’s leaders and members in Rivers to accept the reality that their party would still not be on the ballot for today’s elections in the state.

    Wike said: “Truth be told, the Supreme Court has spoken. INEC has confirmed. It is the will of God and there is nothing anybody can do to return the APC to the ballot for the 2019 general elections in Rivers State.

    “But this, I believe, is not the end of life for the APC in Rivers State. There is always another day and as political leaders, we must have the courage to accept the reality, know when to stop fighting for nothing and tell our followers the simple truth, even if it may sound bitter.

    “I would therefore advice my brothers in the APC to endeavour to put their house in order, allow the prevailing peace to continue and prepare for 2023.”

  • Rivers govt: Amaechi has blood of Rivers people on his hands

    The Rivers State government has alleged that Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, a former Rivers Governor, has blood of people of the state on his hands.

    Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, a lawyer on Tuesday reacted to comments by Amaechi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), during a news conference yesterday in Abuja, where he described as deadly, the ambition of Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to continue in office.

    Okah claimed that the transportation minister, who is also the leader of APC in Rivers state and Southsouth zone, should be blamed for the death of innocent persons during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections in Rivers, no matter how much he (Amaechi) shed crocodile tears.

    Rivers information commissioner said: “The Transportation Minister is notorious as a purveyor of violence. Since 2015, he has not been able to win one single election, without resort to violence and use of security agencies. That is why, he moves about with a long convoy of soldiers.

    “Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry that right in the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari during the APC Presidential Campaign Rally in Port Harcourt, the Minister for Transportation threatened to kill Rivers people, in order to ensure the presidential election of February 23, 2019 is rigged in favour of his party.

    “Amaechi made good his threat on Saturday, February 23 , 2019 when he worked with compromised security agencies and hired armed thugs to unleash violence on Rivers State. In the process, the minister’s game plan caused the death of over 30 persons. These killings were confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) Electoral Officers (EOs), who indicted soldiers and the APC for the violence and snatching of electoral materials during the presidential and National Assembly elections. Amaechi should be held to account for these crimes against Rivers people.

    “It is unfortunate that the Minister for Transportation, who has sponsored the killing of Rivers people during the presidential and National Assembly elections, will rush to Abuja to lie against Governor Wike who promotes peaceful electioneering and insists that the votes of the people must count.

    “After killing Rivers people, especially PDP members, the Minister for Transportation is struggling to divert attention of the public, by claiming that those killed are members of the APC. This is a known trick of the failed minister. Each time he orders the deaths of Rivers people, he rushes to Abuja to lie.

    “The killings by Amaechi and security agencies during the last presidential and National Assembly elections are similar to the killings that they orchestrated during the rerun elections. Amaechi is involved in the promotion of politics of violence, simply because the APC is not on the ground in Rivers State and the party cannot win free and fair elections in the state.

    “It is unfortunate that after killing Rivers people to promote APC during the last presidential and National Assembly elections, Amaechi plans to make political capital from the deaths sanctioned by him. This is shameful and must be condemned.”

    Okah also described Wike, who earlier threatened INEC officials with death, by asking them to first write their wills, before coming to Rivers state for electoral duties, as a man of peace, a promoter of peaceful and credible elections, who he claimed had been insisting that the votes of Rivers people must count.

    He said: “The people of Rivers State will never allow the Minister for Transportation to rig elections in the state. The votes of the people must count.

    “Governor Wike runs an accountable and transparent administration. It is the best in terms of projects delivery and state-wide development. Nobody expects Amaechi to praise Governor Wike, given that he plays politics with everything and Governor Wike cannot allow him instal any of his boys as governor.

    “The Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency is a creation of the law. It was fashioned alongside the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency, which is still functional. It is an agency established to support security agencies with credible intelligence to fight crime. There are neighbourhood security organisations in Anambra, Kogi, Nasarawa, Edo, Bayelsa, Lagos, Kano States, etc. It is embarrassing that Amaechi worked with the security agencies to frustrate the setting up of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency. This shows that Amaechi is simply anti-Rivers.”

    Rivers information commissioner also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order the arrest of transportation minister for sponsoring the violence and killing of Rivers people during the presidential and National Assembly elections, claiming that the President witnessed the threat by Amaechi, while urging President Buhari to act in the interest of Rivers people.