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Destruction was strewn across much of Rivers State yesterday in the aftermath of the governorship/house of assembly elections.
At least seven persons including a policeman were killed in different parts of the state.
The theatres of war include Buguma-Kalabari, the headquarters of Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, where thugs suspected to be working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) killed three persons and attacked the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Several vehicles belonging to the commission and election materials were bombed by the vandals.
The Electoral Officer (EO) for Asari-Toru LGA, Gabriel Okoye, and other officials escaped death by the whiskers and had to go into hiding.
The elections in the area could not therefore take place.
Three other persons were killed in Omagwa, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area.
The yet-to-be-identified policeman was shot dead at Rex Lawson Extension, Borokiri-Port Harcourt.
His body was left at the scene for several hours before it was evacuated.
The thugs also shot dead the APC youth leader in Idu, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, Clever Orukowu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
An APC agent at Ward 15, Unit 10, Khana LGA of the state, Gbogbo Eric, was stabbed by hoodlums.
The authorities also ordered the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 6, Calabar, Tunde Ogunsakin, out of the state, apparently to allow the PDP have a field day in manipulating the elections.
Sources said Ogunsakin’s offence was his refusal to lend the PDP machinery a hand in its alleged rigging plan.
He vacated his Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt room at 5 a.m. yesterday to return to his base in Calabar, Cross River.
He could not be reached by phone yesterday.
First Lady Patience Jonathan is from the state and she is the chief backer of the PDP governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike.
She has been in the state since Thursday.
Observers wondered yesterday why she did not join President Jonathan for voting at Otuoke, Bayelsa state as she did during the Presidential election.
The house of the Rivers Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Joeba West in Buguma was bombed yesterday by about 20 PDP thugs.
Her whereabouts was unknown at press time.
The commissioner narrowly escaped death at Buguma on March 28, during the presidential and National Assembly elections.
Her Personal Assistant was attacked and dragged on the floor by hoodlums. She ended up in the hospital.
The Labour Party governorship candidate in the state, Tonye Princewill, and his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) counterpart , Charles Jaja, both of whom are from Buguma, described yesterday’s violence in the ancient town as shocking and very sad. Princewill said he had earlier in the day called the electoral officer for Asari-Toru LGA, from his hideout that no election could be conducted under the unfolding situation, especially with all election materials burnt.
He said: “There was heavy shooting in Buguma on Saturday. People were killed. Someone was beheaded. Accreditation and voting could not take place in Asari-Toru LGA, because all the electoral materials have been burnt. I had not been accredited (at 12:15 p.m.), much less of voting.”
Jaja spoke in the same vein.
He added: “God help Nigeria.”
Another gang hijacked election materials meant for Akuku-Toru LGA.
The hoodlums barricaded the area thus preventing APC members’ access to Abonnema, headquarters of the council.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi was not spared.
His mobile telephone lines, according to his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor, were cloned, and the brains behind the act proceeded to send fake text messages to the people of the state not to come out and vote.
Iyofor said: “Please, the text messages are not from Governor Amaechi. The governor’s position remains that Rivers voters should come out to vote today (yesterday). Rivers people should disregard the fake text messages.”
Information and Communication Commissioner Ibim Semenitari, described the situation as a miniature war.
He said that for the PDP it was a do-or-die battle.
Her words:”Prior to the elections, Dame Jonathan, a native of Oba-Ama, Okirka, had visited Rivers State, meeting with Ateke Tom, an ex militant leader; security chiefs; DPOs and INEC personnel.
“From threatening to cajoling, she (First Lady) appealed that she would be disgraced if the APC wins in Rivers State. To ensure that she achieves her aim, she has turned Rivers State into a killing field.
“In her (First Lady’s) hometown, the INEC officials forced manual accreditation on all parties, regardless of resistance by agents. Militiamen, Nna Alibi, Solomon Opusiki, Jeremiah Opuikpaki, Angbona and Ogubi are going round from ward to ward, shooting and retrieving the result sheets. They have hijacked materials in wards 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. In ward 3, PDP members thumb-printed in a particular house.”
Amaechi said government was aware of harassment, intimidation and improper conduct of some law enforcement agents, especially a Divisional Police Officer, and a Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Government, he said, would not spare all such security personnel found “engaging in unwholesome and unprofessional conduct.”
“We call on all citizens and residents to take appropriate note and document any security personnel behaving improperly and who is compromised and forward the same to the Rivers State Government,” he said, adding: “All such personnel will face the full weight of the law now and for those who may escape prosecution now, definitely when the new government takes over on May 29, 2015.”
Guns also boomed all day at Ikuru, hometown of the state Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, who recently defected from the APC to the PDP.
In Gokana, Ogoni LGA, five men in military camouflage were arrested and handed over to the police at the Kpor divisional headquarters.
The Rivers Chairman of the APC, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement that Dame Jonathan, Wike, Ikuru, and the Minister of Sports, Tammy Danagogo, were the brains behind the rigging plot.
Ikanya said: “Reports available to us confirm that Rivers PDP, the police and INEC have not changed their tactics of rigging all elections in Rivers State. The strategy adopted to cart away INEC materials and writing results in favour of PDP in the presidential and National Assembly elections of March 28 are sadly being replicated in the governorship and state House of Assembly elections.
“The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Rumuepirikom (Wike’s Port Harcourt community in Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers State) Police Station, early this (yesterday) morning, aided the movement of INEC election materials at the RAC covering Wards 12 and 13 in Obio/Akpor LGA, situated at Ola-Nu-da Model Primary School, opposite the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt. She (DPO) escorted a Passat wagon car into the RAC and carted away the original materials, shooting and chasing away APC agents.
“Early this (yesterday) morning, a special police unit drafted to the RAC covering Wards 9, 10 and 11 situate at St. John’s Model Primary School, Rumueme-Port Harcourt, beat up and chased our (APC) people away to allow Anugbum Onuoha (Wike’s cousin) to come in with a carton containing some electoral materials and took away original results.
“Chief Wike’s fake policemen are currently thumb-printing ballot papers and have threatened to kill any APC agent that raises an eyebrow. The game plan is to announce the results through social media, which will tally with what they have already filled with INEC, as Rivers State governorship election result.
“APC party agents in all 5 polling units in Kalio-Ama (Ward 9), Okrika were abducted from their units by PDP militants, while policemen on duty watched helplessly. Spirited efforts were made by other APC stalwarts to trace, locate and release them from where they were being held. By the time they were restored to their duty posts, electoral materials had been hijacked and taken away by PDP members in all the units.
“No security presence in Ward 7, Okrika. Meanwhile, Samuel Okoko, a PDP member is openly patrolling with police and one Philemon Atelibo moving around with over 20 cult boys. APC supporters are being attacked in Ward 5, Okrika.
“Rivers APC unreservedly condemns this rape of democracy by people who consider themselves to be above the law. We appeal to the military, the police high command and other security agencies involved in election duties in Rivers State to intervene urgently and ensure that the elections are conducted in accordance with relevant laws and that the people’s will prevail at the end of the day.
Anything to the contrary would be an invitation to chaos.”
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