The people of Port Harcourt Rivers State Constituency 3 on Saturday trooped out en mass to cast their votes for the candidate of their choice, the event however turned bloody as thugs believed to be working for politicians in the state invaded several polling booths, inflicting pains and injury on both staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and voters.

But the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) has engaged in war of words. This is even as INEC announced cancellation and indefinite suspension of the process.

Police have declared war on Rivers State-Wike

RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the consistency with which the police interfered with the electoral process in the state was a declaration of war on the people.

Wike, who spoke during a state broadcast on Sunday, described Saturday’s House of Assembly bye-election for Port Harcourt State Constituency 3 as a failed exercise due to the disruption by the police and armed thugs.

The governor insisted that the armed thugs were working for the All Progressives Congress in the state, calling on Rivers people not to succumb to the antics of the police, lest they become slaves in their fatherland.

“The consistent sabotage of the electoral process by the police amounts to a declaration of war against the people of Rivers State and their solemn rights to freely and fairly choose their leaders and representatives,” he said.

Wike said despite assurances from the Rivers State Commissioner of Police during the last State Security Council meeting that the police would remain neutral and act professionally, the police on Saturday, August 18, 2018, joined forces with the APC thugs to disrupt the election.

He stated, “Instead of providing security for voters and INEC officials, the police brazenly colluded with political thugs of the APC to subvert the democratic process and denied the people of Port Harcourt Constituency 3 their rights to free, fair and credible elections.

“It is important to note that Ojukaye Amachree, who led the thugs, is the same person facing multiple murder trial and instead of arresting him as ordered by the trial court, the police have continued to aid and shield him from arrest and prosecution.”

Wike recalled that the June 16, 2018 local government election, which the APC failed to participate, was conducted peacefully without rancour and added that it was not the first time the police would be indicted during an election in the state.

He pointed out that following the widespread violence that erupted in the 2016 legislative re-run election in Rivers State, the INEC Panel Report (at page 66) indicted the security agencies as “brazen election riggers” and singled out the F-SARS Commander,  Mr Akin Fakorede,  as the arrowhead of the violence and rigging that characterised those elections.

APC hails electorate for defending their votes

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has applauded Rivers State electorate for bravely defending their votes despite the violence and snatching of electoral materials at last Saturday’s by-election.

The APC in a statement issued by Mr Yekini Nabena, its National Publicity Secretary, on Sunday in Abuja, however, alleged that the violence was perpetrated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Nigerians will recall how the PDP speaking through its national spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan last Tuesday vowed to deploy all means, schemes, shenanigans in all ramification and magnitude to rig all coming election.

“While we condemn the PDP-sponsored violence and failed attempt to rig the by-election, the APC calls on the Rivers state electorate and indeed all Nigerians to continue to stand their ground,”the statement said.

It also called on the electorates to resist any attempt to rig elections in the country, saying that votes must count and that people’s will must prevail in all elections.

The statement called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant security agencies to deal anyone involved in rigging in the forthcoming general election.

The by-election to fill the vacant positions in the Port Harcourt State Constituency III had been suspended by INEC, following cases of violence and electoral malpractice that characterised the exercise.

Mr. Obo Effanga, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers, who announced the suspension on Saturday night, cited widespread violence as reasons.

The by-election was conducted by INEC to fill the vacancy left by Victor Ihunwo, now Chairman, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.

Effanga stated that because the exercise was marred by widespread violence, it was suspended in accordance with Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2010.

“INEC has decided to suspend the election forthwith,’’ he had said.

Top government official responsible for violence – Makarfi

Former Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has condemned the disruption of Saturday’s bye-election in Rivers State for Port Harcourt Constituency III State Assembly seat.

INEC had on Saturday suspended the election, citing “widespread violence”.

Reacting, Makarfi disclosed that a top government official was responsible for security threats in the state.

The presidential aspirant speaking with newsmen on Sunday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to bring the culprit to book, stressing that the Government knows who was responsible for the carnage in the state and must be called to order.

“I have said it when I went to commission a project in Rivers that, one Governor that has been under the continuous siege, intimidation and harassment by the Federal Government is Governor Wike of Rivers State. It is uncalled for and this must stop.

“The Saturday election in Taraba went fine, but in Rivers, look at the disruption with the connivance of the security agencies involved. And we all know who in the Federal Government is responsible for this crisis in Rivers State.

“I watched a video of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of Rivers State, where he said that the security agents responsible for the crisis were not those engaged to secure the election process.

“If it is true according to the REC that certain individuals were going around polling units with platoons of security men unchallenged, then the President should do something because that is injurious to our democracy.

“Nobody should be beyond being called to order. The person in the Federal Government that is consistently causing security breaches and the crisis in Rivers state must be called to order. The government knows him, we all know him.

“President holds it a responsibility to this nation, that individual should be called to order, otherwise, the havoc they can cause to our democracy and to our country will be grievous.

“INEC did the right thing by suspending the election. But beyond that, correction should be done, the security agencies must not allow themselves to be used by an interested party in the election to hijack the political process, whether in Rivers State or any part of this country. But the siege on the people and government of Rivers State must stop,” Makarfi said.