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Tony John, Port Harcourt
Notable Rivers elders and stakeholders have raised the alarm over an alleged plan by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cause unrest that would lead to the declaration of emergency rule in the state.
Also, they have alleged that the plot would be perfected through causing of violence during the governorship and House of Assembly polls on Saturday.
Consequently, the elders and stakeholders have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the party in the state to order.
Their claim was contained in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday evening, jointly signed by Senator Bennett Birabi, O. C. J. Okocha, Chief Bapakaye Orabere, Annkio Briggs, A. J. Egbelu and Ledum Mitee.
“We must condemn the reported plans by the leadership of the APC to destabilise the state and perpetuate violence during the governorship and state House of Assembly elections as a ploy to be used to declare a state of emergency in the state and/or to ensure the elections in Rivers State are inconclusive.
“It is noteworthy that the APC is not on the ballot in the forthcoming election, so the participation of APC leadership is not only illegal, but aimed at disenfranchising the Rivers State electorate of their constitutional rights,” they said.
The elders noted that Rivers people were not the cause of the crisis that led to the delisting of APC candidates in the state, stressing the need for the party (APC) to allow peaceful conduct of the polls.
“The Rivers people were not in any way responsible for the crisis that led to the situation the APC find itself. Amaechi, Ojukaye, Abe, Cole and co. should realise that the rest of the state were not involved in their internal crisis, and so should take responsibility for their actions and not put the blame on somebody else, in this case, the people of Rivers State.
“It is the height of cowardice and irresponsibility for anyone to imagine that Rivers State is his personal property and if he does not get what he wants, the state can burn.
“As leaders of the state, we consider it an obligation to draw the attention of the entire nation and the international community to this dubious plot designed to cause conflicts and possibly lead to a full military invasion of the state.
“Events of the recent past and in particular, the vicious killings and torture of voters in different parts of the state by political thugs and some men of the military during the just concluded presidential election, succinctly represents the inherent dangers faced by voters in the state, if the excesses of our security forces and the APC in their total disregard for the rule of law is not addressed by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“We, therefore, call on the President Buhari to step up and take full responsibility for the peace of Rivers State and to ensure the integrity of the electoral process during the governorship election in the state, are protected,” they said.
In his reaction, factional Publicity Secretary of APC, Chris Finebone, dismissed the allegation and said: “It is absolute falsehood. They are, perhaps, the ones that are planning to cause chaos, and not APC.”
In a related development, the state chapter of the PDP has called for the immediate release of the Commissioner for Education, Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, his family members and the state Co-ordinator of Arise Nigeria, Benjamin Diri, who were arrested by the Nigerian Army 6 Division, Port Harcourt.
State Chairman of the PDP, Elder Felix Obuah, in a statement by his media aide, Jerry Needam, yesterday, said Gogo-Jaja, with his family members, were whisked away by soldiers, who stormed his GRA Phase 3 residence, on Wednesday.
Obuah regretted that the military in Rivers has not only usurped the responsibility of the police, but, also, have been dragged into full-time politics by some anti-democratic elements and enemies of the state, describing the development as very unfortunate.
He wondered what could be the offence committed by Gogo-Jaja, his wife and children that the army would abandon their primary duty of protecting the Nigerian territory against external invasion, to carrying out the function of the police.
The PDP alleged the action of the soldiers of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army was politically motivated.
“The army should realise that their integrity is at stake, because elections will come and go, but the army remains as a national institution.”
Efforts to reach the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Division, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, for reaction, failed, as he did not reply the text message sent to him.
