10th April, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi says the renewed upsurge in militancy in parts of the state ahead of Saturday’s Governorship and State House of Assembly elections is as a result of the quest of Patience Jonathan to control the affairs of the state and further mastermind the rigging of the elections in favour of PDP.
Amaechi stated this on Thursday at an interactive session with stakeholders at the Obi Wali International Conference centre, Port Harcourt to brief them on his administration’s readiness for Saturday’s gubernatorial and State legislative elections.
Amaechi, assured the stakeholders of adequate protection of lives and property following his recent meeting with the security operatives who have agreed to be fair to all during the polls.
According to him, “what the security operatives and the state government agreed at the meeting was to design a mechanism on how to stop the attempt by militants and PDP thugs to snatch and hijack INEC materials during Saturday polls. Voters and party agents should not allow this hoodlums take over the election.”
The governor warned that: “They can’t kill all of us. We are aware that militants and hired PDP thugs who claim to be loyalists to Mrs. Jonathan are planning mayhem. But, the police and the military have assured the state government they will deploy more troops to guarantee safety and protection of lives and property.”
“Even if the staff they employed are all PDP members but we still need the result sheets. We don’t want anybody to force us on whom to vote, we want our votes to count. Let the wife of the president remain in her house and not force a candidate on us. The security in our meeting with them assured us that votes will count and I hope they will keep to that.”
According to the state chief executive, “PDP guber candidate Nyesom Wike, can go ahead to abuse us as he wants, but the fight to ensure a free, fair and credible election is inevitable. Don’t be intimidated by these forces of darkness. The police and the military owe us a duty and responsibility to create a conducive atmosphere for our people to exercise their franchise. Your responsibility as citizens of this state is to come out en masse and vote”.
He canvassed for the APC candidates saying “The APC guber candidate Dr. Dakuku Peterside is our candidate. Rivers People have a choice to vote Dakuku or Wike, but, as for me, we will all vote for Dakuku Peterside. Nobody has the right or the powers to force any candidate on Rivers people without allowing the people to make their choice of leadership. Our votes must count, there will be no bias this time around. The responsibility of INEC is to provide all the voting materials and result sheets to collate the votes at the polling units,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi expressed dismay over the unlawful activities of militants and hired political thugs by the PDP in the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni local government area and ordered the immediate ban of motorcyclists popularly called (Okada ) in and around the local government until the Saturday elections are concluded.
“We are all aware of the unlawful activities of militants and hired PDP thugs. The killings of APC supporters have become alarming and the security operatives have assured us of protection of lives and property”.
He called on all those living in Omoku and it’s environs to come out and vote as security operatives have put in place crack teams to track down offenders, assuring the intimidation by the Police and Military during the last Presidential poll is over and will not repeat again.
He called on traditional rulers, opinion leaders and party faithfuls to assist government sensitize their people at the grassroots on the need for the people to come out en masse and exercise their franchise.