No fewer than four persons were feared killed during the parliamentary rerun election in Rivers State yesterday. Also an unspecified number of persons, including the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Chief Kenneth Kobani and the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Special Projects, Mr. Cyril Dum Wite were arrested in their respective local governments. Meanwhile, election was suspended in four local government areas of the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for security reasons. The four council areas are Andoni, Gokana, Khana and Bonny. The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak, who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen said INEC officials were prevented from entering the area with election materials.
Ikoiwak also pointed out insecurity for the suspension of election in the four local government areas, adding that poll in the affected arreas would be rescheduled. Chief Kobani was arrested by soldiers in Kpor, headquarters of Gokana Local Government Area for allegedly disrupting election process in his area, according to security claims. On his part, Dum Wite was arrested by Policemen in Bori, traditional headquarters of Ogoniland in Khana Local Government Area of the state. Though, the circumstances surrounding Dum Wite’s arrest was not clear, the governor’s aide expressed surprise at his arrest. Dum Wite explained that he had gone to Bori to report the hijack of election materials by some thugs when he was arrested. Also, seven others were arrested in Bori axis of Ogoniland for allegedly wearing fake security uniforms presumably to foment trouble during the process.
Among those who lost their lives were a youth identified as Tambari, who was reportedly shot on the head by a soldier in Nonwa, Tai Local Government Area of the state. Details of what led to his death could not be ascertained as at press time. Also in Rumuokuta, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, a man who was on the queue to vote was allegedly hit by a stray bullet. He reportedly passed on while being rushed to the hospital In Eleme, a man was also killed, even though the report was still sketchy as at press time. The State Commissioner for Environment, Prof Roseline Konya, was allegedly beaten to coma by security operatives, although reasons for the action could also not be ascertained as at press time. There were also reports of heavy shooting in Abalama, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of the state. Suspected militants shot sporadically and carted away election materials in Bakana, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State. The hoodlums reportedly made away with election materials before a team of soldiers arrived the area.
Also, in Oyigbo and Eleme local government areas, ballot box snatching was recorded. Generally, the legislative elections into the National and State Assembly witnessed low turn-out with reports of fake result sheets in Bonny and Opobo areas Election materials arrived late in many areas, including Port Harcourt city. Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has declared that INEC was not prepared for the re-run elections in the state, noting that the challenges that greeted the elections would have been avoided if the commission had prepared for the rerun elections. He regretted that some areas in the state do not have result sheets, which could lead to violence as the people suspected foul play. Speaking after he voted at Ward 9, Unit 7 in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area on Saturday, Governor Wike said that information available to him indicated that INEC failed to take necessary measures to ensure credible polls. He said: “It is obvious that INEC was not prepared for the rerun elections. They (INEC) refused to tell members of the public the challenges they hard.”
The accreditation process for the governor was cumbersome as two card readers were used before the governor was eventually passed to vote. Wike told journalists that in several polling units, information of scanned results were received, adding that there were cases of snatching of election materials in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Areas and Omagwa, noting that it was unfortunate that the challenges came up despite the time INEC had to prepare. He, however, gave a pass mark to the security agencies for maintaining law and order in the state. Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, said materials distributed at Opobo/Okuro Local Government Area were tempered with, alleging that they were fake electoral materials. On his part, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi soon after voting at his country home in Ubima, ward 14, unit 8 alleged that APC members were being intimidated by members of the PDP.
The Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said the election was peaceful in Opobo, even as he commended security agencies and urged other local governments to emulate Opobo. Meanwhile, the State PDP Chairman, Felix Obuah has condemned the arrest of the SSG and the governor’s aide (Dum Wite), as well as the treatment meted out to the state Commissioner for Environment, Prof (Mrs) Konya. Obuah alleged that soldiers of the Nigerian Army were led by Senator Magnus Abe to the INEC centres in Gokana and Khana to beat up PDP agents. Obuah in a statement by his media aide, Jerry Needam, alleged that soldiers hijacked all the election materials and are thump printing and writing results. The statement reads, “The Secretary to the State Government, Hon Kenneth Kobani, Special Adviser on Special projects to the State Governor, Hon Cyril Dum Wite and over 2,000 PDP across the state have been beaten, arrested and detained by the Nigerian Army, drafted to conduct the election by Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Magnus Abe and the APC.”
The statement described the action of the military against Rivers people and members of the PDP as genocide. “The Nigerian Army disobeys two separate court orders, restraining them from participating in Rivers re-run election and in Rivers South-East Senatorial District of the State. The state PDP chairman condemned the action of the military and calls for a thorough investigation into their role in the election. But reacting to the allegations of ballot box snatching and rigging by the PDP, the APC said this was untrue. Secretary of the Greater Together Campaign Organization of the APC, Godstime Oluko in a telephone chat with our reporter said the areas alleged by the PDP are strongholds of the APC. Oluko said, “What the PDP is saying is absolute balderdash. There is no way the APC can indulge in ballot box snatching or connive with anyone. Khana, Gokana, Eleme and most of the areas they (PDP) are talking about are our (APC) stronghold,” he said. Meanwhile, collation of results were on-going at the state INEC office along Aba Road in Port Harcourt amid tight security as at press time yesterday with men of the Army, Police and NSCDC stationed at the entrance of the commission.
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