Wike, army rift deepens ahead of polls in Rivers

The rift between Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state and the sixth Division of the Nigeria Army has deepened following the arrest of the state Education Commissioner, Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja 24 hours to governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

The commissioner and some members of his family were reportedly picked up on Wednesday night at his residence in Port Harcourt, the state capital by soldiers suspected to have come from the 6th Division of the Nigeria Army in Port – Harcourt.

Although, the acting Director of Public Relations of the Nigeria Army 6th Division, Col. Aminu Iliyasu could not be reached for confirmation as at the time of filing this report, a press statement from the state Information and Communication Commissioner, Emma Okah confirmed the arrest of the commissioner.

The statement also accused the army and Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of plans to arrest more PDP stalwarts and chieftains across the state in order to scuttle the elections in the state.

In the statement, the state government went on to list those that have been marked out for arrest by the army to include, “Sir Celestine Omehia, former governor of the state; Austin Opara, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives; the state PDP Chairman, Felix Obuah, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba and Sen. Olaka Nwogu.”

Others are “Chief Sergeant Awuse, Sen. Lee Maeba, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, former transport minister; Amb. Desmond Akawor, former Nigerian Ambassador to South Korea and Prince Emma Anyanwu.”

The list according to the statement also includes, Sir Kenneth Kobani, Ejor Ejor, Prof Blessing Didia, members of the Rivers state House of Assembly, PDP candidates and National Assembly members elect, Alabo David Briggs, all commissioners and special advisers, local government chairmen, Senator Thompson Sekibo and Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka amongst others.

The statement signed by the information commissioner accused the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the GOC of 6th Division, Nigeria Army of masterminding the mass arrest of innocent Nigerians and prominent PDP members in the state.

“The essence of the arrests is to precipitate crisis and cause the INEC to postpone the elections in Rivers state. Failing this, the minister will use the vacuum created by the absence of arrested leaders and rig the governorship election and force a candidate of his choice against the will of the people,” Okah alleged

He further stated that those arrested would be kept behind bars till after the governorship elections in the state, insisting that Amaechi has been boasting of having brought soldiers from Sokoto and other states to carry out his political agenda of disrupting or rigging the elections on Saturday.

All efforts to contact Amaechi, for his comments failed.