APC Members Shot Dead In Rivers State , Many Arrested

Today’s presidential and National Assembly
elections have turned out to be a big
nightmare for the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Rivers State, with the members
being killed, attacked and disenfranchised in
various parts of the State.
“Armed militias working for the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) have intensified
their killing of APC members. Scores have
already been killed and several others
marked for elimination. This morning in Kpite
Town, Tai Ward 2 and other areas of the
State, five people were shot dead by PDP’s
armed militia, and that was before
accreditation commenced,” Rivers APC
Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in
a statement in Port Harcourt. Pictures of our
killed members are attached.
Lamenting his party’s ordeal, Ikanya said: “It
is sad that PDP and its collaborators are
targeting APC strongholds and chieftains for
attacks and killings. To intimidate our people
and contrary to the court ruling forbidding
the use of the Army in this election, there
has been a massive deployment of soldiers
in the State with clear instruction to shoot at
sight any APC agent that refuses to comply
with the evil plot of PDP to write the results
of the election at some designated areas of
the State in favour of PDP.”
Chief Ikanya gave the following specific
horrifying examples of APC’s travails:
•Hon. Chidiebere Okwuwolu, former
Commissioner and currently an APC leader,
was arrested by police and taken to Olu
Obasanjo Police Station in Port Harcourt
along with 99 other arrested APC members
scattered in various Police Stations in the
State.
•At Ubima, the home town of Governor
Chibuike Amaechi, the INEC results sheets
are currently with Chief Nyesome Wike, the
guber candidate of PDP in Rivers State.
Governor Amaechi has refused to embark
upon any accreditation because of lack of
result sheets in all the polling units in the
State, a situation contrived by INEC and PDP
to make room for PDP to rig the election.
•At Andoni, the Local Government Area of
Rivers State APC Chairman, Dr. Davies
Ibiamu Ikanya, and Chief Uche Secondus,
the National Vice Chairman of PDP and his
cousin, Engr Tele Ikuru (the Deputy
Governor of Rivers State who few days
defected to PDP) hell has been let loose;
electoral materials have been hijacked by
PDP agents in connivance with the Army that
has been threatening to arrest and kill any
APC chieftains in sight.
•The Caretaker Committee Chairman of
Andoni Local Government area, Esuku Esuku,
has been ordered out of Ngo, headquarters of
Local Government, by the Joint Task Force
(JTF)/army personnel deployed to Ngo, or be
killed.
•At Abonnema, headquarters of Akuku-Toru
Local Government, materials are being
distributed from the house of Minister of
Sports, Chief Tammy Danagogo, instead of
the INEC office, without any security
personnel. Danagogo has held the policemen
that ought to escort these materials to the
polling units hostage and injuring DPO of
Abonnema, Mr. Joseph Kayode for daring to
accompany Hon Isobo Jack the
Commissioner for Urban Development to the
Polling Unit, relevant pictures attached.
•PDP thugs hijacked materials and INEC
personnel meant for Akuku-Toru Wards 15,
16 and 17. The hijacked materials and men
were taken to Freetown, a hinterland coastal
community. The attack was led by two
youths whose identities are known.
•In Tombia, in same Akuku-Toru Local
Government, PDP had byFridaynight filled the
community with Ijaw Youth Council (IYC)
bouncers who were attacking APC members
and, at the same time, preventing those
returning home to vote from entering the
town. They were doing so in the presence of
soldiers who were too few in number. The
Caretaker Committer Chairman and others
were injuredon Friday. The over 30 APC
members that were to act as agents were
arrested.
•In Buguma, which is the Headquarters of
Asari-Toru Local government, policemen
were busy all day arresting APC chieftains.
•In Gokana Local Government, trained INEC
ad-hoc personnel were replaced with
untrained manpower suspected to be PDP
members. This is believed to have been done
in connivance with the LGA Electoral Officer
(EO).
•At Opobo/Nkoro, the Local Government
Area of Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, the
gubernatorial candidate of APC, the house of
Opobo/Nkoro Caretaker Committee
Chairman, Loveday Jaja, was torched after
he escaped to avoid being killed by the PDP
hoodlums. Electoral materials meant for the
Local Government Area have been diverted
to John Africa/Ada Tom Pepple Compound
area where they are thumb-printing in favour
of PDP. One Barrister J.B Pepple was caught
with stained thumbs and he admitted to
thumb-printing. Another person Alafagha
Oko-Jaja had his head broken head and he
is seriously bleeding. No one is sure if he
will survive.The army has been going around
the community harassing people while Chiefs
in Kalaibiama are compelling them to vote for
President Goodluck Jonathan of PDP. This is
said to be on the orders of Chief of Army
Staff, Major-General Kenneth Minimah, who
is also from the town.
Mr. Harold Peterside a PDP Agent in Unit 006
Ward, Oopbo/Nkoro was caught with INEC
Register and fake Results Sheet at the
Polling Unit.
•At Oyigbo LGA, 40,000 incident forms were
being given out at6:30 a.m.but they stopped
when the APC Agent complained about it. He
was however asked to leave the INEC office
at about11:30 a.m.Already, 120,000 incident
forms have been to Port Harcourt LGA,
80,000 to Obio/Akpor and 50,000 to Ikwerre
LGA. The incident forms are one of the ways
PDP plans to use to rig the elections around
the country, especially in the South South
and South East.
•In Okrika, there was sudden change and
appearance of fresh and inadequately trained
INEC ad-hoc staff who tried to persuade
voters to undergo manual accreditation,
claiming that card readers assigned to
Okrika LGA polling booths were not working
(even without trying them). In a few units
where APC supporters insisted on ‘No Card,
No Accreditation’, the card readers
mysteriously began to work. But in majority
of the places manual accreditation is being
undertaken.Also in Okrika, there is
insufficient delivery of electoral materials by
INEC. Up till now no one, not even party
agents, has seen the original result collation
sheets. The INEC officials claim it is not
everything that they must explain.
Meanwhile, INEC delivered incident forms far
excess of the number of registered voters.
Meanwhile, PDP stalwarts are openly
parading bundles of PVC cards in their
possession.
Rowland Sekibo, accompanied by police and
PDP thugs armed with guns, are going
around chasing away APC members from
doing accreditation. They had done so in
wards 1, 7, 8, 9 and 2. They tore the tags of
our agents, beat them and chased them
away, injuring scores of them.
“We condemn this brazen rape of
democracy by PDP in collaboration with
INEC and the security agents. It is
unacceptable as this is not what democracy
should be. PDP should allow Rivers people to
vote without guns pointed at their throats,”
Dr. Ikanya said in the statement.
Dr Ikanya passed a vote of no confidence on
the State Resident Electoral Commissioner,
Gesila Khan, declaring that she has failed
woefully as she is bent on carrying out her
secret agreement with PDP to return victory
to the party at all cost.
Whatever trash she will announce as the
result of today’s election is not acceptable to
us and we ask for her immediate transfer
and a new date be set for a proper election
in Rivers State than the sham and charade
that was calculated to rubbish INEC and
democracy.
The pictures of our killed members are
attached.
Long Live APC!
Long Live Rivers State!!
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
SSA Media and Public Affairs to the State
Chairman, APC Rivers State.
28-03-15