Wike Accuses APC of Arming Thugs to Disrupt Rivers LG Polls

• Allegations baseless, says party

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has stated that the state government received intelligence report that a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is arming political thugs to disrupt next Saturday’s local government elections in the state.
But the state chapter of the APC has described the allegation as baseless as the party had earlier said it was not participating in the exercise.

In a state broadcast yesterday, Wike said the APC faction planned to disrupt the elections in Abua/Odual, Akuku Toru, Asari Toru, Degema, Emohua, Ikwerre, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Opobo and Tai Local Government Areas of the state. “The arrowheads of this satanic plot, the state Chairman of the APC, Mr. Ojukaye Flag-Amachree; the former Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr. Emmanuel Chinda, and the current Nigeria’s Ambassador to Netherlands, Ambassador Oji Ngofa, are recruiting and arming political thugs with guns to be deployed on the eve of the election to create an atmosphere of insecurity in these and other local government areas and scare voters to shun the polling stations,” he said.

He said the state government has received concrete assurances from the heads of all the security agencies that they have put adequate measures to secure the peace and ensure orderly conduct of the election.

He noted that the Rivers State Government shall hold the security agencies professionally accountable should insecurity be experienced in the state in the course of the elections . He said: “Community leaders and members of the public should be on the watch out and report suspicious characters and movements in their localities and neighbourhoods to the law enforcement agencies for immediate action.

“Also, the security agencies have definite instructions to strictly enforce the restrictions on human and vehicular movement on election day and arrest any person or group of persons that violate this order. All those who have no official business with conducting the election should therefore stay away from the polling units after casting their votes or risk arrest and prosecution,” he added.

The governor stated that there is no legal impediment stopping the conduct of the June 16 local government elections.

“I can confirm to you that the election will take place as scheduled in all the 4,442 units, 319 wards and 23 local government areas of the State as there is no legal obstacle significant enough to warrant otherwise.

“I am very pleased with the information that 67 out of the 68 registered political parties have fielded candidates for the elections and are therefore participating,” he said.

He expressed happiness with the assurances from the state Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) that it is ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections come Saturday June 16.
But in its treaction, the state chapter of the APC said it has no reason to disrupt the election as it had since distanced itself from the exercise.

In a statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Chris Finebone, the APC said: “It is absolutely important to quickly mention that the APC, its leaders and members across Rivers State have no stake in the sham local council elections and have no reason at all to consider or disrupt a process we have clearly distanced ourselves from and made such position known to the world.”
The APC however called on its members not to interfere with the elections as the party has nothing to gain from the exercise.

“The APC knows that there will be no value addition to it as a party to indulge in disrupting or undermining a process we have already washed our hands off because we know that it is an exercise in futility ultimately – a total waste of valuable time.

“We very well know that the law will deal with the sham elections in fullness of time. Our members should shun anything that will directly or remotely associate them with the sham exercise on Saturday,” Finebone said.