Major leaders of Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), last Monday, shunned the “Kick Out Wike Protest” following the refusal of the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to disburse the N3billion released by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ministry of Transportation to the party leaders for the purpose of the protest.
Those who shunned the protest include, Architect Tonye Cole, Hon Asita Honourable Asita, Dr Dakuku Peterside, Senator Magnus Abe, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Elder Chidi Wihioka and Hon Victor Giadom.
Trouble started, last Monday morning, when the minister, through the Director of Finance of NDDC, Oyirinda Amadi, released only N150million to the leaders for sharing.
But unfortunately, the money was shared to leaders of Amaechi faction, while the Abe faction of the party was totally excluded from the sharing formula.
After the release of only N150million by the minister, most of the leaders sent back their hired crowd, demanding that the balance of their funds must be paid in full before the protest would take off.
It was learnt that with the imminent failure of the widely publicised protest looming large, Amaechi directed the suspended member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Azubuike Wanjoku to lead the protest.
At the Isaac Boro Park take-off point of the protest, the hired protesters from Abia, Ondo, Ogun, the North-East and the North-West demanded for full payment from Azubuike Wanjoku.
It was discovered that at this point, there was pandemonium with the soldiers and policemen mobilised to maintain order during the protest, battling to bring the fighters under control.
Addressing the crowd, the suspended lawmaker assured them that the minister will personally attend the rally, today in Port Harcourt.
Wanjoku said that the low turnout will not achieve the aim of the protest, which was designed to throw the state into crisis for elections to be postponed.
He assured that the minister would release more funds for today.
The hired thugs were later ferried back to their camp at Ubima while they await more hands for today’s protest.
Over 500 soldiers and mobile policemen provided security for the hired APC protesters.
Meanwhile, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, yesterday, warned would-be troublemakers for the next Saturday’s governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to have a rethink.
According to him, security arrangement across the country has been enhanced to deal ruthlessly with thugs and trouble makers.
He spoke with State House correspondents at the end of security chiefs’ meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He also said that security personnel have been increased for trouble spots identified during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Congratulating all Nigerians for the general peaceful conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the IGP urged Nigerians to come out and vote next Saturday.
He said “We are all aware of the fact that we just concluded the presidential and National Assembly elections and we want to congratulate Nigerians for the peaceful conduct of the elections and we are prepared now for the governorship and the House of Assembly elections in the country.
“We’ll like every Nigerian to come out and cast his or her vote. The security arrangement we provided during the presidential elections is being enhanced so as to provide enabling environment for everybody to come out and cast his or her vote for their preferred candidates.
“We will again advise those that will want to disrupt the process to rethink because during the presidential election, we had some few challenges here and there, those challenges, we’ll not allow those challenges to repeat themselves. We are taking more security measures to address those pockets of challenges we noticed.
“So, thuggery again, is not allowed, ballot snatching is not allowed, disruption of the election process is not allowed. We, the security personnel have resolved to deal ruthlessly with anybody that attempts to disrupt the process of this election.
“For that reason, we expect, every states, the conduct of the election should be respected. We expect that electoral materials must not be tempered with; we expect that the INEC officials would do their work without fear or favour and without being allowed to compromise. The same thing, the security personnel are to perform their duties without allowing themselves to be compromised.
“So, we have heightened the security arrangement to make sure that the election goes without any hitch.” he stated
Asked if the police made any arrest of hoodlums disrupting the Presidential and National Assembly elections, he said, “We’ve made a number of arrests all over the country but probably we shall come out with the number of arrests we have made in terms of those that disrupted the process of the election in some areas within the country. We’ve a lot of arrest.”
On the special effort being put in place to ensure peaceful election in the trouble spots in the country, he said, “Virtually, in Bayelsa and there are other states within that zone that we have taken notice of the fact that people there prone to violence so we have increased the number of security personnel that have been posted there.
“Also, we have increased intelligent outfit that has been posted there so as to help us identify those people that are trying to cause problem so that we can take them out of the environment before they cause the problem. Therefore, there is increase in security personnel.
On the allegation of militarization of the process by security agencies, he said, “Well, as I said before, everybody, the lives of Nigerians are secured in terms of provision of adequate security to come out and vote. If you judge what you have said with the report of the international observers and local observers, you will see that both the local and international observers have adjudged the process to be peaceful.
“So, pocket of challenges you get here and there did not affect the peaceful conduct of the elections. The process was peaceful and credible.”
Asked when those arrested would be prosecuted, Adamu said “Investigation is ongoing. There is an investigative team that has been set-up headed by the commissioner of police in-charge of legal, they are compiling the case files, they are investigating them. At the end of the investigation, the police in liaising with INEC will prosecute them.”
Asked the superiority of police or other security agencies at polling units, he said, “Well, there is no superiority in terms of security agencies. We only talk of the role but when it comes to internal security, it is the police that is the lead agency other security agencies support the police in terms of internal security.”
Those at the meeting included the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonishakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete IIbas, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar.
Also present at the meeting were the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno, Director of National Intelligence Agency, the Director General, Department of Security Service.
The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dangazzau and the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali were also at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has banned the unauthorized use of unmarked and covered vehicle number plate.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Frank Mba, Tuesday, said the ban was sequel to intelligence reports that “the unwholesome practice may be deployed by some unscrupulous persons to aid the commission of electoral related offences before, during and after the Saturday, March 9, 2019 Gubernatorial/House of Assembly elections.”
The statement read in full: “The Inspector General of Police, acting IGP Mohammed Adamu, has prescribed with immediate effect the covering of Vehicle Number Plates by all unauthorized vehicle users across the country.
“The IGP gave this order on Tuesday, 5th March 2019, following intelligence report that the unwholesome practice may be deployed by some unscrupulous persons to aid the commission of electoral related offences before, during and after the Saturday, 9th March, 2019 Gubernatorial/House of Assembly elections.
“Apart from the above immediate possible threats to the polls, the IGP also noted that the covering of Vehicle Number Plate amounts to a clear breach of the Road Traffic Act and other relevant laws of the land. In addition, the act could also impact negatively on national security and safety and has the capacity to; heighten criminal activities, engender an atmosphere of lawlessness, shield perpetrators of crime and place unnecessary pressure on security agencies in their routine crime prevention and monitoring tasks.
“The IGP, therefore, directs all Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the Zonal and State Commands to strictly enforce the restriction order at their various Areas of Responsibilities (AOR) and to ensure that all defaulters are dealt with according to the law.
“The IGP also warns that any security personnel found escorting their principal with an unmarked vehicle or those with masked vehicle number plates will be arrested and dealt with accordingly.”