…As Fubara, Speaker condemns violence
By: Felix Ikpotor
Atleast five persons were reportedly killed with many injured, while three local government secretariats were burnt by suspected thugs, in the post local government elections crisis that erupted in Rivers State on Monday.
Aside the 3 secretariats of Eleme, Emohua and Ikwerre local government areas that were burnt down, it was gathered that council headquarters of, Khana, Ahoada East, Etche, Oyigbo, Obio/Akpor and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGAs were heavily attacked by suspected gunmen and arsonist.
While 2 persons were said to have been shot dead in Khana and Ahoada Eas, a viral video on social media showed that 3 persons were allegedly killed in Oyigbo local government area in the crisis.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara had, while swearing-in the 23 elected local government chairmen on Sunday raised the alarm that supporters of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike were mobilizing 20 person per unit to attack council secretariats on Monday.
Earlier on Friday, Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka while leading a protest against the conduct of the October 5 LGA elections, threatened that they were going to cause mayhem in the state and that if the elections are allowed to hold, urging the Department of State Security Service, DSSS, to prevail on the Rivers State Government and the State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, to obey the September 30 Federal High Court judgment and stop the election process.
But RSIEC eventually went ahead with the election, which was adjudged one of the safest elections in the state.
However, crisis started few hours on Monday after the Nigerian Police Force announced the unsealing of the 23 LGA Secretariats in the State, on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
It was learnt that scores of youths suspected to be supporters of the FCT Minister barricaded the gates of Emohua Council while gunshots rented the air.
A similar case was recorded in Ahoada East, Khana, Oyigbo and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGAs as youths in their numbers destroyed properties at the council secretariats.
There was also an initial report that some youths had attempted to barricade the Port Harcourt City LGA secretariat earlier on Monday, when the Chairman, Ezebunwo Ichemati and his entourage tried to access the council secretariat. But the attempt was foiled at the arrival of the chairman, councillors and supporters at the council.
Meanwhile, Governor Fubara has described the burning of the secretariats as acts if irresponsibility.
Fubara, who stated this in Isiokpo, headquarters of Ikwerre LGA while inspecting the level of damage done to the council said the business of politics should not degenerate to the level of killings and destruction of government facilities built with tax payers’ money.
He said: “I feel very sad seeing what has just happened in this Council. I want to say this to the entire Rivers State: If you are called upon, play your politics with a sense of responsibility. We don’t need to kill ourselves. My time will come, and I will leave; do I need to burn the Government House?
“This Council Secretariat was built by the immediate past chairman, and for me, we know the history of this council, how he sought for fund, and how it was executed. This is supposed to be a legacy project for him that whoever that is going to come after now will continue to remember that at a certain time, certain persons built this for the LGA. But, look at what we are seeing here today. Must we go low in politics?”
Similarly, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Governor Fubara, Victor Oko-Jumbo has lamented the unrest in the state and the burning of some local government secretariats.
Oko-Jumbo spoke on Monday when the Assembly screened and confirmed, Evans Bipi, Benibo Anabraba, Israel Lebura Mgbuelu all former members of the Assembly and Otamiri John Ngubo as commissioners designate.
During the sitting, the Speaker noted that the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has shown exceptional restraints in the face of provocation which the Assembly aligns with, calling on the Inspector General of Police to carry out his constitutional duties by going after those burning down government infrastructures in the state.
