Dakuku, Rivers PDP, in verbal war over dismissal of six police officers

The dust raised by the sacking of six police officers attached to Governor Nyesom Wike by the Police Force Headquarters is yet to settle as Dr. Dakuku Peterside, the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state have opened up a fresh round of verbal cross fire over the issue.

Last week, the police Headquarters in Abuja announced the dismissal of the six officers for accompanying Governor Wike to Port Harcourt local Government Council Secretariat, one of the collation centres in the December 10, 2016, legislative rerun elections and misuse of fire arms against police regulations.

Dr. Peterside, who was also the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State governorship candidate in the 2015 general elections in the state, on Monday, accused the governor of causing much embarrassment to the collective interest and aspirations of Rivers people.

The NIMASA boss was speaking against the background of the sacked police men, saying that the actions of the governor were giving the state a bad name and rubbishing the achievement of her founding fathers. His position was contained in a statement issued by his Media Team, signed by its spokesman, Mr. Parry Saroh Benson.

Dr. Peterside recalled “that according to police, the dismissed operatives were said to have disobeyed senior officers by preventing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from moving election results of Emouha polling unit to the appropriate collation centre, an action that contravenes the provisions of Force Order 237.

“The policemen, upon arriving the collation centre with Governor Wike, started shooting sporadically into the air without provocation, contrary to directive from Police IG against such act,” he said.

The former APC gubernatorial candidate expressed deep reservations over what he described as the unbecoming attitude of Governor Wike, who he alleged had serially compromised security in the state and has been allegedly involved in several electoral
malpractices.

He queried: “What manner of a man is Wike? His desperation to become governor at all cost led to loss of many lives and destruction of properties. Since becoming governor, it has been bad news all the way. Many people, including security personnel have been murdered in different parts of the state. Now, policemen have been dismissed from service all because of the inordinate ambition of one man.

“How can the governor of a state force his way into INEC collation centre and under heavy intimidation, harassment and threat to life, force the returning officer to declare a winner when the results of Emohua and Etche local government areas have not been collated.

“He clearly had no business storming the collation centre with policemen and his thugs. He took his immunity to a ridiculous level, thus endangering the lives of people and career of security personnel.

“Here is a governor who cries at every given opportunity, yet he is the one compromising every known government institution to serve to selfish ambition. Never have we had a governor who is so unsure of himself and what he says,” he cried.

He said that recently the governor told Rivers people not to participate in the probe panel set up by Inspector General of Police, but that the same governor turned around, crying to Police Inspector- General G to reveal those behind the killing of two policemen during the rerun election. He also added that the governor was the same man who vowed not to fund security agencies in the state has later announced his readiness to support them.

“How do you associate Rivers people with such a man who is not straightforward?” he queried, and called on Governor Wike to “do some soul searching and reconcile himself with what should truly represent his direction and motive for governing the state. He is virtually in the news for all the wrong reasons.”

In its reaction, the PDP in the state said that the comments by Dr. Dakuku Peterside on the sacked policemen had exposed the inordinate role played by the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that the APC candidates won the election, describing the IGP’s action as real professional misconduct.
A statement issued on Monday which was signed by Mr. Jerry Needam, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, of the state PDP Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, said that “recent ranting by Dakuku against the Rivers State Governor was unbecoming” and wanted security agencies to call him (Dakuku) to order.
The PDP Chairman stated that the issue of the sacked policemen called for a rationale examination by well meaning Nigerians, irrespective of party affiliation, adding that “the careless comments by Dakuku have vindicated the position of the PDP that the sacking of the six policemen has political undertones.”
According to Chief Obuah, “the questions on the lips of every right-thinking Nigerian are: What has the IG got to say about 50 policemen who accompanied Dakuku Peterside to the voting units in Opobo and Nkoro during the December 10, 2016 Re-run Election? What about the policemen who accompanied Rotimi Amaechi, Magnus Abe, Barry Mpigi, Derrick Mene and other APC chieftains to their respective polling units during the re-run election?
“If there is anyone who has caused so much embarrassment to himself and those he represents, it is Dakuku Peterside who has refused to show the least respect for the person of Chief (Barr) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and the office of the Governor which he occupies”, said the PDP Chairman, adding that “what was expected of every responsible citizen was to contribute in the development of the State, rather than mouthing and conspiring with outsiders to pull down the State.”