Wike to int’l community: Focus on Rivers rerun to check electoral fraud
The Rivers State Governor, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has called on the international community to take serious interest in the alleged plot by the police in the state to rig the December 10 rerun elections in the state.
A statement from the governor’s office, signed by his Special Assistant, Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, alleged that the police had perfected plans to start the indiscriminate arrests of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, members and the party’s supporters a few days to rerun.
The governor declared that through the state established intelligence channel , he was in possession of the list of PDP supporters earmarked for arrest by the police before the rerun elections.
He spoke on Wednesday during the flag off of the Chokocho-Umuechem-Ozuzu Road in Etche Local Government Area, saying: “They have written the names of those they want to arrest. In Khana Local Government Area alone, they have earmarked 103 persons for arrest.
“You didn’t arrest them before now, but you want to arrest them at this point because election is approaching,” he said.
The governor called on the people of the state to resist any such politically motivated arrests, pointing out that such actions aimed at promoting the interest of an unpopular APC would not be tolerated.
He said: “Now that it is obvious that the APC cannot win, they should forget about these rerun elections and wait for another time. There is no need creating crisis when the APC is unpopular in Rivers State “.
Governor Wike noted that it is the alleged fraudulent plots of the APC in liaison with the police and INEC that generated tension which could lead to violence.
“We want free and fair elections.They should allow our people to choose their leaders in peace because nobody will be allowed to rig elections here,” Wike said.
On the Chokocho-Umuechem-Ozuzu Road, Governor Wike said that the state government was committed to improving the economic fortunes of the Etche people .
He said that the road contract was previously awarded to Mr. Ogbonna Nwuke, an APC Chieftain who allegedly pocketed the money and abandoned the work.
He said: “This is a day of reckoning. This is a time to punish Mr. Nwuke who collected the money for the Chokocho-Umuechem-Ozuzu Road, refused to execute the project, but is now seeking the mandate of the Etche people.”
Governor Wike called on Etche people to vote PDP candidates in the rerun elections as that would help in consolidating the development of the state .
In his address, the Commissioner for Works, Mr. Bathuel Iheanyichukwu, said that the Chokocho-Umuechem-Ozuzu Road was 18.5 kilometres in length. He said the road would revive the comatose economy of the area.
