Rivers State All Progressives Congress, APC, has expressed shock over the defence given by the Spokesman of Governor Nyesom Wike, Opunabo Inko-Tariah for the sad shooting and killing of a policeman and others at Olu-Obasanjo Road in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The APC in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Finbone said, “Curiously, Mr. Inko-Tariah blamed the killings on the previous state government led by Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi even if the former governor left office 29th May, 2015. The Spokesman for Governor Nyesom Wike also blamed the killing on the influx of people into the state since Nyesom Wike became governor of the state.
Continuing, the spokesman of the party said:
“In any case, the APC would like to state that only 24 hours ago, our party raised alarm accusing the Wike-led state government as the main reason security to life and property has hopelessly broken down in Rivers State.
“Information reaching the APC indicates that yesterday’s killing had something to do with the convoy of Oyigbo Caretaker Committee Chairman – one of the CTCs Wike controversially installed in the state. Not long ago, attacks and shootings among CTC members and their Chairmen over money have been reported on the streets of Port Harcourt.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the APC would like to state clearly that it has implicit confidence in the 35th Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP. Musa Kimo to successfully tackle the insecurity in the state. However, our position is that the Commissioner’s major obstacle will be the level of criminals that infest the different levels of governments in the state”, the statement noted.
In another development, the Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC has asked why Gesila Khan, others refuse to defend INEC so-called election results in Rivers State
“The Independent Electoral Commission [INEC] which claimed to have conducted governorship and other elections on the 11th and 12th of April, 2015 in Rivers State and subsequently released what many consider false results, on Tuesday abruptly closed its case after calling only 16 witnesses and with a full day left and a long list of witnesses it planned to call yet to appear” Finebone said in a statement today in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The press release reads: “The abrupt stop announced by INEC lead Counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu mid-way into Tuesday’s hearing elicited surprise from Counsels to 2nd and 3rd Respondents.
Counsel to the 2nd Respondent [Nyesom Wike], Okey Wali [SAN] expressed his surprise thus: “My Lord, I am surprised at this development, but nevertheless we will open our defence tomorrow [Wednesday]” On the part of the 3rd Respondent, the PDP, its Counsel, Chris Uche [SAN] expressed shock over the development when he said, “We are shocked too”.
Similarly, Counsel to the petitioner, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Chief Akin Olujimi [SAN] was not different in his reaction. He said: “My Lordship, if you look at our side today, you will see we were ready for them; to see this now is most amazing.”
“The APC finds it curious that the 16 witnesses INEC presented were all ad-hoc or temporary staff with no known addresses. But even more curious to the APC is the fact that INEC carefully or tactically shielded Dame Gesila Khan, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner and other top permanent personnel of the Commission from appearing at the tribunal to defend the so-called results INEC declared in April.
“Part of the conclusion the APC would like to join other observers to make is that the Commission is already convinced of the bad nature of the case and would not want to further expose itself to ridicule before the nation and the world at large. We also believe that as the electoral umpire that solely conducted elections, the major onus of proof that elections took place in substantial compliance with relevant laws of the country rests on the Commission, the reason the Commission is the 1st Respondent in the matter. However, what appears to be its shoddy handling and technical abandonment of the matter before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal speak volume.
“The APC also believes that, as widely circulated by the informal media, witnesses to the INEC afraid of running afoul of perjury, disappeared into thin air, preferring to disappoint the electoral umpire than go to prison for lying on oath. This accounted for why INEC abruptly ended its case a whole day earlier than the tribunal had allotted INEC.
“It is also important for the APC to use this medium to state that contrary to the impression in the media that INEC stated that soldiers, the Police and the DSS lied under oath that election did not hold, the allusions to not seeing these security agents around election locations was made by ad-hoc or temporary personnel such as Youth Corpers as no INEC personnel of note appeared before the tribunal to justify the election the Commission claimed to have held and results announced against the position of Nigerians, local and International election observers.
“The APC would like to ask for the umpteenth time why it appears that the Independent Electoral Commission [INEC] technically abandoned its matter midway into trial thereby leaving Nyesom Wike and the PDP to their fate.”
