•Says, ‘we have videos of atrocities committed by soldiers’
GOVERNOR
Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said with the declaration of results by
returning officers in the respective constituencies, no official of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered by law to
cancel or nullify such results.
This was as he said the state government had compiled videos of the atrocities allegedly committed by the military across the state during the legislative rerun, adding that the videos would be made public at the appropriate time.
He further alleged that the what he termed military-orchestrated violence in the state could be part of a plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to declare a state of emergency on the state, on the premise of heightened propaganda.
The governor said this in Port Harcourt, on Monday, adding that an attempt was made to declare a state of emergency in the state,
“We have videos of the atrocities committed by the military across Rivers State. We shall release them at the appropriate time. There is an attempt to cause violence to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State,” he said.
The governor cautioned that a recent statement by the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing the Federal Government of planning a state of emergency in the state should not be disregarded.
Stating that there was always an element of truth to every rumour, he said the main opposition party in the state was merely involved in propaganda to create the impression of violence.
Speaking on the yet-to-be scheduled rerun in the eight local government areas where the exercise was suspended, Governor Wike said measures should be taken by INEC to avoid the challenges noticed in the last elections.
He particularly suggested that one Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) should be assigned to one local government area each, to ensure greater efficiency in the conduct of the poll.
He claimed that PDP won the election in the declared constituencies because Rivers was purely a PDP state, adding that “while we campaigned, they were not campaigning. With what I have done in a few months, it will be difficult to defeat PDP in the state.”
Making reference to the shooting incident at the state office of the DSS, on Sunday, the governor said it was unfortunate that APC used the media to lie that the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, escaped assassination attempt.
He, however, conceded that though Rivers had been a one-party state since the 1970s, an opposition arose in 2015, adding that “now, we have a strong opposition for the first time. It is a healthy development.”
This was as he said the state government had compiled videos of the atrocities allegedly committed by the military across the state during the legislative rerun, adding that the videos would be made public at the appropriate time.
He further alleged that the what he termed military-orchestrated violence in the state could be part of a plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to declare a state of emergency on the state, on the premise of heightened propaganda.
The governor said this in Port Harcourt, on Monday, adding that an attempt was made to declare a state of emergency in the state,
“We have videos of the atrocities committed by the military across Rivers State. We shall release them at the appropriate time. There is an attempt to cause violence to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State,” he said.
The governor cautioned that a recent statement by the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing the Federal Government of planning a state of emergency in the state should not be disregarded.
Stating that there was always an element of truth to every rumour, he said the main opposition party in the state was merely involved in propaganda to create the impression of violence.
Speaking on the yet-to-be scheduled rerun in the eight local government areas where the exercise was suspended, Governor Wike said measures should be taken by INEC to avoid the challenges noticed in the last elections.
He particularly suggested that one Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) should be assigned to one local government area each, to ensure greater efficiency in the conduct of the poll.
He claimed that PDP won the election in the declared constituencies because Rivers was purely a PDP state, adding that “while we campaigned, they were not campaigning. With what I have done in a few months, it will be difficult to defeat PDP in the state.”
Making reference to the shooting incident at the state office of the DSS, on Sunday, the governor said it was unfortunate that APC used the media to lie that the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, escaped assassination attempt.
He, however, conceded that though Rivers had been a one-party state since the 1970s, an opposition arose in 2015, adding that “now, we have a strong opposition for the first time. It is a healthy development.”
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