Killers of APC Supporters in Rivers will Not Go Unpunished, Says Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi

  PDP faults claim of attacks, killings
Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

All those involved in the brutal killing of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State during the electioneering period will face the full weight of the law, Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi has said.

Amaechi made the statement on Monday when he paid a condolence visit on  the families of  the late Chief Christopher Adube in Obirikom, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni local government area of the state.

Adube, alongside three of his  children, his younger brother, lyke Ikechukwu and his two gatemen were shot dead last Friday in his Obrikom residence while two of his children who were wounded by bullet shots are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

Amaechi assured the bereaved family that his administration would fish out the killers and  prosecute them accordingly.

“All those responsible for this bloody act will pay for it. This kind of killing of APC supporters has gone beyond political violence. Why should politicians go beyond politicking and try  to take any body’s life? They will pay for this, I promise to fish out the culprits,” he promised

Earlier during his door-to-door sensitisation tour to wards in Khana local government area, Amaechi promised that votes for  the April 11 governorship elections in the state would count at every polling units.

While addressing a crowd of APC supporters in Bani, Bean Ken-Khana, Kaani-babee, Nwiyakara, Kono-Boue, Uegwere-Boue, Zaakpor, Kaani and Opu-oko communities, Amaechi frowned at the electoral fraud and rigging of the last presidential election results by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and warned that any criminally- minded person who attempts to deprive Rivers people from exercising their legitimate franchise would be made to face the full weight of the law.

According to him, “We are all eyewitnesses to what happened during the last presidential election where the PDP carried out electoral fraud with INEC officers and the police. But now, the police or the military will not harass you again. I came  to thank you all for refusing to vote without result. I called one of my friends in the army and cautioned him about the last election and the victory of Buhari, he told me on phone that, ‘Sir, Parade has changed gear.’ What it means is that, supporters of APC will no longer be molested and harassed by the police or the military. Everybody can come out and exercise their franchise.
Ensure that, your party agents are at every polling unit, at least 50 persons per unit, wait after accreditation and voting before allowing the party agents to follow the results to the collection  centres. Our votes for the guber election will count at the polling units and recorded in the result  sheets,” Amaechi said.

The state Chief Executive also  urged Rivers people and the people of Khana in particular to  massively turn out for the guber elections this Saturday and vote for the  governorship standard bearer  of the All Progressive Congress, Dr. Dakuku Adol-Peterside.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),has faulted claims by the leadership of the APC that its members in the state have been subjected to continued attacks and were being killed by the PDP.

This came as the APC House of Representatives candidate in Obio/Akpor local government and former Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, has raised an alarm that key people in the PDP had sent assassins after him.

The PDP, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by Mr. Jerry Needam, special adviser, media, to the state Party Chairman, Mr. Felix Obuah, said it  “notes with surprise that the APC leaders and Governor Chibuike Amaechi who have overtly carried out regular release of hardened criminals from prisons and detention in the state and have been ostensibly engaged as snipers and political mercenaries, trailing the APC political opponents, will turn around to blackmail law-abiding members of the PDP, linking them to alleged death cases in the state.”

The statement said the PDP views such allegations by APC National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, and APC gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, of the killing of APC members in Rivers State as “flawed, unfounded and outright blackmail.”

Needam said it should not surprise the public of the complicity of APC leaders in any death of its members, as the APC had failed to resolve many of its internal crises sparked by absence of internal democracy, greed and selfish disposition of the leaders.

While challenging the APC to produce un-fabricated evidences of their claims, adding, “If at all there has been any death incident in the APC, such situation would have also been caused by clash of APC factional cult groups, sponsored by chieftains of the party, struggling for supremacy and control of huge funds doled out for the running of the Party by Governor Amaechi.

“We have continued to draw attention of the public and security agencies to the release by Amaechi of hardened criminals awaiting trial, and armed cult boys apparently to cause unrest in parts of the state in order to disrupt the elections, apprehensive of the fact that they (APC) will lose elections in the state.

“We are aware of the antics of the APC and will never play into their hands. Their intention is to do something to obstruct the elections and blame it on either the inefficiency or compromise of the INEC and the PDP, but we urge all Nigerians, particularly the security agencies to be alert to resist and quell all such moves by the APC.”

The PDP also appealed to the electorate to ignore the APC’s claims and go about carrying out their franchise and vote for Wike for governor and PDP State Assembly candidates in the April 11 elections, stressing that PDP, as a responsible and law abiding party, would not engage in anything capable of truncating the nation’s democracy and the electoral process.

The party reiterated its call on its members and supporters to be steadfast, and mobilise the masses for the victory of the party in the state, charging them not to be intimidated by the “oppressive actions of the Rivers State Government under Governor Amaechi.”

According to the statement, “The PDP says it is aware of the arrival of cache of arms and ammunition into Rivers State imported by leaders of the APC in the state.

“The party affirms that most of these guns have been distributed to the various wards and units across the State to political thugs and machineries of the APC to be used in the April 11 elections.

“Confirmed reports indicate that some APC loyalists in parts of the State, particularly in Ogoni, Kalabari and Ikwerre communities have on receipt of the guns started boasting of delivering their party (the APC) in the coming elections.”

The PDP called on the security agencies to swing into action to avert calamity during the elections.

But in another development, the APC House of Representatives candidate in Obio/Akpor local government and former Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, has said his life is under threat, alleging that there were plans by leaders of the PDP in the state to kill him.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, Okocha asserted that he had been receiving strange faces in his residence, while his mobile phone has been inundated with unsolicited calls from faceless persons warning him to stay clear of Wike’s election or face the wrath of their principal.

Okocha further stated that he had in his possession a publication pasted on his residence, warning him of the consequence of his action if he dared Wike in Saturday’s election.

According to him, the message read: “All APC members will face judgment of death before governorship election or thereafter: get yourself prepared to face the challenges that will occur at any moment, both killing by shooting, secretly, openly, kidnapping, assassins, Don’t prove that you are strong,”

Okocha said it was imperative to alert the general public following the incessant cases of political killings witnessed in the state.

He called on security agencies to come to his aid and ensure that nothing happened to him.