Odinkalu Condoles with Peterside over Political Killings

The Chairman of National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, yesterday condoled with All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Hon. Dakuku Peterside, over the politicallymotivated murders in the state.

Odinkalu, who was on a fact-finding mission to Rivers State, gave his condolences to Peterside during a courtesy call on him at his campaign headquarters, the Greater Together Campaign office in Port Harcourt, the director of communications of the Peterside governorship campaign organisation, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said in a statement.

The state has been the scene of repeated violence, with APC supporters mainly targeted and the party’s campaign rallies severally disrupted, particularly in Okrika, the home of the country’s First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

The political violence has left a trail of death and destruction in its wake.

The NHRC chairman, who was accompanied on the evidential visit to Rivers State by members of the governing council of the commission, said everyone should be concerned about the slowly developing crisis in the state, regardless of political affiliation.

Odinkalu also extoled the public service record of the APC governorship candidate.

“I congratulate and pray for him. I also wish to offer my condolences because a lot of blood has been shed, it does not matter where you belong. We didn’t want to sit in Abuja and assume that we know what is happening through twitter. We are here because we want to see both campaigns, we also want to see evidence of those who were killed. Do we have names and documents? Can we get a sense of what is happening? Do we have records?” the NHRC chairman said.

Odinkalu, who said his team would also visit the state Commissioner of Police, added, “We are all worried, not just because we have families and friends, if we don’t have a country that exists, we can’t even do politics, we can’t do public service or think of improving our country. That is the spirit of this visit.”

Responding, Peterside regretted that reports of political violence had seemed to overshadow the peace-loving nature of Rivers people and the excellent performance of their government under Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

He called on politicians in the state to eschew violence, saying the visit by the NHRC would help to “curtail this distressing degree of human rights abuses.”