PICTURE of the political killings in Rivers State was presented yesterday in Abuja, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) alleging that it lost 56 members.
Besides, over 150 others were victims of harassment, said the party. It accused security agents and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of complicity in the situation.
At a news conference in Abuja, APC National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed said the development had become worrisome, considering the fact that these killings were “in the full glare of security agents”.
Mohammed is concerned that the killings have increased ahead of the weekend’s governorship and state Assembly elections.
He queried why nobody had been arrested by security agents for the killings.
He said: “We have lost 55 persons so far in the run-off to the elections. APC does not have the capacity nor the will to frustrate elections. You all saw what happened in Rivers State during the last elections.
“ If you did not see anything, at least you saw when the Returning Officer was asked to read the results, he could not because it was not written by him.
“Our party is a party that believes in the Rule of Law. They have the police, the DSS and INEC. They have these three groups which they are using to subvert democracy in Rivers State. Everyday, they are killing our people and nobody is being held responsible.
“We complained that elections did not take place in Rivers. We wrote a petition on that and the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said they set up an Investigative Committee and that what they came out with does not give them any reason to cancel the election. We accept that, but that is without prejudice to our right to challenge these infractions at the Election Petition Tribunal.
“We are saying two things here. First, we are as much concerned for a peaceful, free and fair election as much as being concerned about the safety and security of our people. We are losing lives everyday and this is uncalled for.
“How come Rivers State has recorded more deaths than any other state in the run-off to this election? Or these people that are dying, are they ghosts? We report every time and we hear that the police are after the killers, yet last night one of our leaders was killed. We are saying all these so that we don’t end up creating a situation that even after elections, we will not have sustainable peace.
“I do not see why federal institutions should be used to further the interest of individuals or groups. Federal institutions should be neutral. We are not crying wolf but saying that our people are dying daily and we are asking both international and local observers to take a look at this and prevent a total breakdown.
“We have won the Federal Government and so why should we be interested in oil revenue coming from one state? We are running a federal system of government under which the states have some autonomy. It does not matter who is the governor of Rivers State. Whoever is the governor of Rivers State will have to administer the resources of Rivers State. What we are saying is, let the people of Rivers State choose who they want.”
The APC accused the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr. Nyesom Wike, “aided by the security agencies”, of being behind he killings.
“Though this marauding started before the March 28th Presidential and National Assembly elections, it has become progressively worse as the governorship elections approach on Saturday.
“Last week, nine members of our party were killed in cold blood while many others were injured, when armed PDP thugs invaded Obrikom and Obor communities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government. These thugs set ablaze the residence of Vincent Ogbagu, our candidate for the House of Assembly elections.
“Dozens of our members have been arrested on frivolous charges, just to put them away. At least four persons were arrested just because they defected to our party.
“APC members have been subjected to persistent harassment and intimidation across the state, using the police in Rivers and the Zone 6 in Calabar. Over 150 prominent members have been victims of this unprovoked persecution.
“And just today, we received another sad news from Rivers. An APC chieftain, Christopher Adube, was reportedly shot dead at the weekend. Adube, who hails from the Egbema Local Government Area, was said to have been shot dead at his residence. These are just some of the instances of what APC members and supporters in Rivers State have been subjected to in recent days.”
Mohammed accused security agents of colluding with PDP thugs to attack APC supporters.
He said: “It is very sad indeed that the terrorising of APC members and supporters in Rivers State has been carried out despite the presence of the police and other security agencies in the state.
“In fact, most of the attacks were carried out with the collusion of the security agencies, who have exchanged the garb of partisanship for that of professionalism.
“Elements of the security agencies have also participated directly in the targeted harassment and intimidation of our members. Even when our members have run to the police for succour, they have found none.
“The case of the Chairman, Caretaker Committee, of the Gokana Local Government Area, Mr. Kadilo Kabari, was particularly astonishing. He and Senator Magnus Abe, who represents Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, were attacked by PDP thugs right inside the Divisional Police Headquarters at Kpor.
“Their offence was that they dared to challenge PDP thugs, dressed in INEC kits, who were engaged in massive rigging during last week’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state. That these PDP thugs could use a police station for rigging speaks volumes about the role of the security agencies in that election.
“Of course, it is needless to say that the collusion of INEC with the PDP and the police to pave the way for unbridled violence against APC members and supporters, and the subsequent rigging of the elections, was spearheaded by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Rivers, Ms. Gesilia Khan.
“This issue is already the subject of a very strong petition which our party has written to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.”
He said the party was confident that its petition was already receiving the desired attention.
Mohammed added: “We have decided to give the details of the relentless killing, maiming, harassment and intimidation of our members and supporters in Rivers State before, during and after the presidential and National Assembly elections so that Nigerians can see that everything has been done, and is still being done, to make sure that free, fair and peaceful elections do not hold in the state
“The attacks, arrests and intimidation targeted at APC members and supporters in Rivers have become even more widespread in the run up to the governorship and House of Assembly elections. We are very concerned that the prevailing atmosphere of mindless violence and brigandage does not augur well for a free, fair and credible elections in the state.
“We are worried that no one has been held responsible even where our members have been killed, and that the police and other security agencies, as well as INEC, have turned themselves to appendages of the PDP, in what is nothing but the height of impunity.
“We are therefore using this opportunity to call on local and international observers, as well as the Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of The Situation Room, to pay a close attention to Rivers State – as well as other states considered to be flash points – during the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections.
“In particular, they should beam their searchlight on the role of the security agencies and INEC officials in Rivers, who have decided to jettison their neutrality and join the fray.”
Mohammed said APC is opposed to the attachment of security agents to PDP officials during the governorship poll.
He said: “To prevent the security agencies from becoming the tools of harassment and intimidation in the hands of PDP members and officials, we are opposed to the attachment of security personnel to PDP officials during the elections. This will go a long way in reducing cases of persecution of our members.
“The hierarchies of the security agencies, especially the police and the DSS, as well as INEC, must read the riot act to their members posted to Rivers State for election duties. The kind of mindless collusion with the PDP by the same officials mandated to ensure free, fair, credible and peaceful polls – which was witnessed in Rivers during the presidential elections – will not be tolerated this time.
“We appeal to our members and supporters in Rivers State to continue to conduct themselves peacefully, while making sure they document every case of killing, maiming, harassment and intimidation targeted at them, as well as all instances of election malpractice. In the fullness of time, no one who has engaged in this untoward actions will go scot-free as they will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”
