Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has raised the alarm that there were plots to disrupt the governorship and State Assembly elections scheduled for March 18.
Governor Wike said the reports reveal that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and immediate past Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who is the leader of the APC in the state, have purportedly perfected plans to overrun and disrupt the elections in the state with Army personnel, civilian thugs and cultists dressed in Army and police uniforms.
According to him, “We have written to notify the Hon. Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army, and the General Officer Commanding the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, and requested that no military personnel is released to Rotimi Amaechi or any other politician to interfere with next Saturday’s elections in Rivers State.
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“Furthermore, we have noticed that the Anti-terrorism Unit of the State Police command continues to provide VIP security services to politicians in defiance of the Inspector-General’s order to withdraw all police personnel attached to VIPs during the elections.
“We, therefore request the Inspector-General of Police to enforce his order by ensuring that all political leaders are restricted to their polling units and prevented from moving about with police escort.”
Governor Wike made the allegations while addressing Rivers people in a statewide broadcast, on Thursday.
He further noted that some local politicians are also planning to unleash mayhem using armed thugs, cultists, and gangsters in military and police uniforms,
Consequently, the Rivers State governor called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute 27 politicians in the state, whose names he listed as follows: Dr. Lenoonu Nwibubasa, Bright Nwinyoodee, Barika Bareh, Friday Sinee, Dumbari Deezua, Neeka Ikina, Dr. Gabriel Pidomson, Giobari Poiba, Barisi Bonikoo, Hon. Mike Amachree, Paul Lawrence Paul, Anosike Odua, Mr. Ogbams Ojimah, Kenneth Chinda, Smiles Azundah and Gift Welebe.
Others included Nwobueze Amadi, Chidi Wosa, Ugochukwu Wosu, Ndidi Erim, Lucky Mmai, Baridi Edmund Katara, Solo Filiman Mon, Charles Anyanwu, Christian Don Pedro, Iworiabo Amachree, and Arokosimiya Ikalama.
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The governor continued, “We expect the security high command to live up to their assurance of providing adequate security beef-of throughout the State to forestall any security breaches or breakdown of law and order during and after the elections.
‘We assure everyone that we will do everything within our power to resist and prevent a repeat of what happened in 2019 when the Nigerian Army was used to rig, kill our people and destroy property during the elections across the state.’
He urged Rivers people to come out and vote en masse for the PDP on the 18th of March, 2019, because according to him, ‘It is your civil duty and opportunity to constitute the next government and consolidate the State’s progress.”