The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has stated that the state government has intelligence that a faction of All Progressives Congress (APC ) is arming political thugs to disrupt the June 16, 2018 local government elections in the state.
In a state broadcast, Governor Wike said that an APC faction plans to disrupt the elections in Abua/Odual, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Degema, Emohua, Ikwerre, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Opobo and Tai local government areas.
Wike said: “The arrowheads of this satanic plot, the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, the former Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Emmanuel Chinda and the current Nigeria’s Ambassador to Netherlands, Amb Oji N. Ngofa are recruiting and arming political thugs with guns to be deployed on the eve of the election to create an atmosphere of insecurity create in these and other local government areas and scare voters to shun the polling stations.
“Ojukaye Flag-Amachree is a double murder suspect who has refused to submit himself to trial. Yet, this fugitive to justice recently emerged as a factional state chairman of his party against a court order and is now emboldened by the protection he is getting from the police and the Federal Government to engage in subversive activities against the interest and people of Rivers State.
“In the light of these dangerous threats from Ojukaye and co-travellers, therefore, I wish to call on the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police to live up to their primary responsibility of providing adequate security for the election and deal decisively with those who may attempt to disturb the peace, order and security of the state before, during and after the election.”
He said that 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.
The governor 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.”
The governor stated that there is no legal stopping the conduct of the June 16, 2018 Local Government Elections.
He said: “As things stand now, we have no other choice but to conduct the local government election and allow democracy to settle and thrive once again at the grassroots and drive the development of our communities”.
Wike added: “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.
“Let me therefore appeal to all registered voters to turn out in their numbers to vote for the candidates of their choice. This is a civic responsibility you must exercise in order to rekindle the touch of democracy, good governance and accountability in the local government system.
“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 expressed happiness with the assurances from RVSIEC that it is ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections come Saturday June 16, 2018.
“For us, this is an irreducible minimum and we demand nothing less as government will hold the commission strictly accountable for any acts or omissions that compromise the integrity of both the process and the elections”, he said.
The governor explained the reason behind the delay in the conduct of the Rivers State Local Government Elections.
“After three years of legal vacillation, it is now clear that the subject matter or fundamental interest of the claimants in that case has practically been wasted by effluxion of time and whatever remedies derivable by the parties, if any, can only be nominal.
“While the legal challenge continues, the people of Rivers State are denied their rights to freely elect officers to run the councils democratically. However, as things stand now, we have no other choice but to conduct the local government election and allow democracy to settle and thrive once again at the grassroots and drive the development of our communities”, he said.
Meanwhile, ahead of the June 16 local government elections, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has assured a level playing field for all political parties and stakeholders in the local government polls.
Chairman of the commission and Chief Electoral Officer, Justice Chukunenye Uriri (rtd) gave the assurance in a press statement made available to The Tide, yesterday.
The chairman called on all political parties involved in the election to play the game according to the rule, and urged the electorate to turn out en-masse to participate actively in the elections.
He said Rivers people have a natural peaceful disposition and were law abiding, and urged the people to avoid being tempted to relegate the much-cherished culture and norms of the state to the background, so as to put the detractors of the state to shame.
Uriri stated that, “Of the several virtues of an election, the most significant is the enhancement of the exercise of the constitutional rights of the people as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, noting that the process “affords us the opportunity either to vote or be voted for in an electoral process”.
He said there would be restriction of movement, starting from 6am on Election Day till 4pm to ensure peace and order as well as free, fair and credible LG polls in the state.
Meanwhile, the Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Rivers State, Mr. Oliver Wolugbom has called on Rivers people to turn out en-masse and participate actively in tomorrow’s Local Government Elections in the state.
In a press statement, Wolugbom urged indigenes of the state to exercise their franchise and conduct themselves properly during the LG polls.
He urged political parties involved not to heat up the polity but ensure a hitch-free poll.
Similarly, ahead of tomorrow’s local government elections, the Rivers State Police Command says about 15,000 security personnel drawn from the police and all the sister-security agencies would be deployed during the elections.
The police also said that there would be restriction of movement of persons, vehicles both on land and air, between the hours of 7am – 4pm on the Election Day.
The state Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed disclosed this while briefing journalists on the preparedness of the security agencies toward the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
Zaki stated that the state police command have braced up to the challenges of the elections and accordingly have put in place adequate security measures to ensure that the LGA elections are free, fair, credible and devoid of any violence.
According to him, the command has drawn up operations order which has captured all deployments, including those in other security agencies, adding that there have been due consultations, including security meetings held with service commanders, heads of security agencies and other critical stakeholders that would superintend over the local government elections in the state.
He warned VIPs to desist from moving from one place to another on the election day, as provided under the Electoral Act, and added that they were only allowed from their houses to the polling centres and back home.
“The police and other security agencies will be monitoring the exercise and to ensure that there is due compliance to this directive. Therefore, any person or group of persons in default will be arrested and prosecuted”, he warned.
The CP averred that all entry and exit points into and out of the state would be closed between the hours of 7am- 4pm, while all identified flashpoints would be manned by security personnel to prevent any security breach.
Zaki used the opportunity to appeal for the continued support and co-operation of members of the public, especially with the inconvenience occasioned by the restriction order, adding that the order was only intended to entrench some orderliness in the conduct of the local government elections.

Taneh Beemene