Rivers: Apc, PDP In War Of Words Over Planned Rerun

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are in war of words over the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix date for the conduct of the remaining rerun election in Rivers State.

While the APC is  accusing the PDP and Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike of engineering and promoting insecurity as a strategy to scare INEC from fixing date for the rerun, the ruling party in the state, said it has uncovered clandestine moves by the opposition party to push for another postponement of the election, billed to hold before the end of this October.

Chairman of APC in the state, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by his senior special assistant on Media and Publicity, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said has made it clear that it will not conduct the election unless peace is guaranteed as it is not prepared to risk the life of its officials and the ad-hoc staff to be used for the exercise.

Ikanya said, “PDP and Wike are aware that they cannot win any election in a peaceful environment, so they have resorted to the promotion of insecurity to ensure that the rerun legislative election in the state is endlessly delayed so that Senator Magnus Abe, Chief Andrew Uchendu, Rt. Hon. Amachree and other APC candidates does not join their colleagues at the National Assembly to give Nigerians purposeful and visionary leadership direction.”

He said it is sad and regrettable that Wike has made governance in Rivers State a laughable and comic venture where insecurity is not only promoted, sustained, watered but has become a way of life with murderers and gun wielding youths treated like celebrities.

On its part, the PDP said it has been alerted by some credible information available to it, confirming the plan by the leadership of the APC, in conjunction with some top officials of INEC, aimed at effecting another shift in the conduct of the elections, alleging insecurity in the state and logistic problems on the side of the commission as reasons for the postponement.

Chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Felix Obuah, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by his special adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, expressed worry and disappointment over the alleged action of the APC leaders, but said the development did not come to the party as a shocker.

Obuah said, “One of such plans by the APC is the sustained blackmail and distortion of facts bordering on government actions on security challenges in parts of the state, not taking into cognizance the pragmatic efforts of the Governor Wike led-government in tackling insecurity, armed robbery, kidnapping, cult related clashes and other social vices across the state, as well as his unprecedented support for the state Command of the Nigeria Police and other sister security agencies operating in the state.”