Amaechi, Soldiers Manhandle Ikwerre CTC Boss

Soldiers have arrested and brutaliseed the Emohua Local Government Caretaker Chairman, John Wokoma, in a bid to rig the results of the rerun elections in the area.

The military invaders had stormed the collation centre at the Emohua LGA headquarters, and whisked the CTC chairman away to an unknown destination.

The Tide learnt that the operation was led by Col Ali of the Army, who claimed that he was acting on the instructions from the General officer Commanding the new 6 Division of the Nigerian Army.

Meanwhile, Emohua LGA Secretariat Collation Center has been under siege by soldiers led by one Colonel Ali, who said he has been ordered to deliver Andrew Uchendu as the Senatorial candidate for Rivers East Senatorial District.

Already, Emohua LGA Collation had been completed before the invasion by the soldiers, and the PDP had won the area.

The siege by the soldiers, who ca,e in four trucks, lasted for more than four hours.

Thousands of Ikwerre people have besieged the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Isiokpo, the headquarters of Ilwerre Local Government Area, following the invasion of the Local Government Collation Centre by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

The minister had stormed the INEC Collation Centre with over 200 soldiers and Armoured Personnel Carriers, and was also accompanied by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Elections, Mr David.

The soldiers and the commissioner of police forcefully gained entrance into the premises where they drove away the African Independent Television (AIT) live crew, other print and broadcast journalists, agents of political parties and observers.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of Elections, Mr David beat up the Caretaker Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike, before dragging him on the floor.

It would be recalled that the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had in an earlier interview on Saturday raised alarm that the police authorities were withdrawing official policemen detailed to provide security for the elections, before they would be replaced by soldiers and policemen with instructions to assist APC and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi write results.

The governor, in the interview, regretted that security agencies would be used to manipulate the electoral process.