How violence, ballot snatching marred Rivers rerun election
From Victor Edozie, Port Harcourt
The December 10 legislative rerun election in Rivers State has come and gone, but the pain, agony, accusations and counter accusations it left on its trail cannot be wished away.
The election, which was held in 1,840 polling units that cut across three senatorial districts, 8 federal and 10 state constituencies, were reportedly marred by violence and harassment of voters, as well as alleged snatching and diversion of electoral materials by security agencies.
The violence that marred the election left in its trail, death and injuries. A very sad incident was the death of Muhammad Akali, a Deputy Superintendent of Police attached to Mopol 48. He was ambushed, alongside his orderly, by suspected cultists in a remote village of Omoku, where they were beheaded. Five other police officers in the patrol team are still missing. Their patrol vehicle, with a lot of ammunition, was also hijacked by the criminals.
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, said a high powered investigative panel had been set up to fish out the killers of the policemen. No doubt, their death has brought pain and agony to the Nigeria Police Force and their immediate families.
The rerun election had other casualties. A middle aged boy was also killed in Bodo City of Ogoni land. Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred when suspected members of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, who were escorting a top chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), invaded the community and shot their way through before carting away electoral materials.
Another person was also killed in Luwii community in Tia, while another one was killed in Emuoha.
Journalists and top politicians were not left out in the election violence. A reporter in the Nigerian Info was beaten up by suspected political party thugs. The reporter was mistaken as a spy and beaten to a pulp. There were several cases of electoral materials snatching in almost all the constituencies the election was conducted.
In Gokana, a top management staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), was accused of diverting electoral materials to his private hotel.
Violence and electoral fraud were also reported in Etche, AkukuTolu, Gokana, Khana, Oyigbo, Tia, Andoni and Ikwerre local government areas. There was a stand off at collation centres in Ikwerre and Port Harcourt City local government councils, where top APC chieftains and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Parties (PDP) reportedly struggled over result sheets. An electoral officer was accused of running away with result sheets and other important electoral materials meant for Ikwerre Local Government Area, a situation that reportedly denied the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi the opportunity to cast his vote on Saturday. There was another stand off at the Port Harcourt City Local Government collation centre between Governor Wike and suspected men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Akin Fakorode. Trouble started when the SARS commander stormed the collation centre with his men. The result for the Rivers West senatorial district was expected to be announced at the centre.
Video clips that went viral on the social media captured the SARS commander manhandling a female electoral officer. It was alleged that the governor got wind of the development and stormed the collation centre with hundreds of PDP supporters. The stand off lasted for about one hour before the result was announced in favour of the PDP candidate, Senator George Thompson Sekibo against his APC opponent, Andrew Uchendu.
The election in Akuku-tolu Local Government Area was suspended till Sunday, December 11 because of the violence that erupted in the area. There was a heavy gunfire in the area, a situation that forced the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend the election and evacuate its staff.
In Etche Local Government Area, the INEC cancelled the election as a result of violence. There were reported cases of violence in Etche, as well as snatching and diversion of electoral materials.
The INEC has so far released the result of three senatorial districts of Rivers South-East, Rivers West and Rivers East. The PDP candidates, George Thompson Sekibo and Osinakachukwu Idiozu clinched both Rivers East and West respectively while Senator Magnus Abe won the Rivers South-East for the APC.
In the House of Representatives, the APC won three seats while the PDP clinched one. Out of the six House of Assembly seats released so far by the INEC, the PDP won three while the APC got three. The results of the remaining four House of Representatives seats and that of the four state constituencies are being awaited as at the time of filing this report.
Daily Trust on Sunday observed that the December 10 rerun election heightened tension in the state. The oil rich state was highly polarised among the two political actors, Governor Wike and Chibuike Amaechi. Accusation and counter accusation had dominated the political space. While Governor Wike had accused the minister of using the combined team of army, police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to harass and intimidate the electorate, Amaechi accused Wike of inciting PDP supporters to unleash violence on APC members.
Both the APC and PDP are protesting against the particular constituencies their candidates lost in the election. The PDP, through a statement issued in Port Harcourt by its state chairman, Felix Obuah, rejected the result that gave the APC a landslide victory in the Rivers South- East senatorial district, Oyigbo/Eleme/Tia, Khana/ Gokana, Ikwerre/Emouha federal constituencies and three Assembly seats.
On its part, the APC said it would not accept PDP’s victory in Rivers West and East senatorial districts. The APC governorship candidate in the 2015 elections, Dr Dakuku Peterside, who spoke on behalf of the party, accused Governor Wike of manipulating the outcome of Rivers East senatorial district result. Peterside alleged that the governor invaded the collation centre and forced the electoral officers to announce the result in favour of Senator George Thompson Sekibo. He also blamed the INEC of announcing the result of Rivers East while the result of Etche Local Government Council had not been released.
The two political parties have threatened to meet in court to challenge the outcome of the election. Meanwhile, security agents that were accused of complicity in the conduct of the election are fighting hard to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing.
The Inspector -General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, while appraising the performance of his men during and after the election, said the Force performed very well. He said the police had consolidated in the successes it recorded during the governorship election in Edo and Ondo states, adding that it would amount to disservice to say that the police did not perform well during the election.
The Nigerian Army, on its part, said the alleged killing and mass arrest by soldiers in Tai, Ogoni,Khana/Gokana local government areas were false. The commander of 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Major General Kamisu Abdulkarim, however, said it was true that soldiers of the Division provided security during the election, but added that the allegations made by some politicians regarding deep involvement of soldiers during the election were aimed at tarnishing the positive image of the army.
He said, “These people accused soldiers of ballot box snatching, illegal escort of some politicians, arrest and detention of voters during the election. The weighty nature of these allegations could cause members of the public to view soldiers negatively; hence the need to adequately inform the general public of the true perspective. The public thus need to consider them as mere farce to garner public sympathy.
“The 6 Division of the Nigerian Army has remained apolitical in the conduct of the election. Its soldiers provided perimeter defence to ward off hoodlums and miscreants. Nigerian Army troops were in no way involved in any form of ballot box snatching, neither were they involved in the escort of politicians as alleged. They acted swiftly in response to security breaches in order to enforce the law, provide aid to the Nigeria Police and other security agencies, especially in areas like Abonema, Etche, Gokhana, Ikwere, Eleme, Tai, Khana and Omoku, amongst others. Susceptibility of mentioned areas warranted providing security for the electoral officials, voters, international and local observers, in conjunction with other security agencies by soldiers for a peaceful election to thrive in the environment.
“These areas were rift with armed men that engaged security personnel. In Gokhana, armed hoodlums engaged the soldiers, providing outer perimeter defence for the electorate.
“In Abonema, at 0730 hours today, there were three explosions that created bedlam. Subsequently, 11 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were abducted along with electoral materials. However, 10 of them were rescued 2 hours later by the soldiers while one was rescued about 8 hours later.
“At Emouha, Mr Oblewaremu abducted 5 NYSC members with election materials in a Sienna bus. The corps members were rescued while the suspect was handed over to the police. Several gunshots were recorded in some communities such as Bodo, the home town of the secretary to the state government, B-dere and Mogho in Gokhana Local Government Area, including snatching of ballot boxes. The most brutal incidence occurred at Ujju community, near Omoku in Onelga, where a police patrol team was ambushed. In the ambush, 10 policemen scampered into the bush.
“The Mobile Police organised a rescue mission. Regrettably, the team discovered that DSP Alkali Mohammed of Mobile Police Unit 48 was beheaded along with his orderly.
“The patrol vehicle was taken away with weapons, 3 policemen escaped while 5 were missing in action. This is the same area where soldiers of 34 Brigade were ambushed on November 20, 2016. A soldier was killed during the incident.
“Also, on November 21, 2016, four personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were killed and their weapons carted away.
“These attacks are reasonable evidence of violations of law and order, which portray the area as a flashpoint.
“Despite this form of barbarism, soldiers acted with civility and professionally guaranteeing peaceful election.
“The Nigerian Army, as a respected institution with constitutional responsibility to safeguard lives and property, could not watch miscreants and hoodlums abducting, maiming and killing innocent citizens, especially in senseless attacks on uniform personnel.
“The Rivers State rerun election was adjudged credible, free, fair and peaceful in many parts of the state. Accusations of soldiers’ partisanship therefore, was sham and phony. The Division will continue to maintain an apolitical posture in the discharge of its duties to ensure adequate security in Rivers State.”
The INEC also said it achieved about 75 per cent success in the election. The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Elder Aniedi Ikowak said although there were cases of violence, the Commission achieved its target.