Democracy’s sore fingers

Odoife: Yes. We have taken one progressive step in our effort at deepening our democracy but we need to do some introspection and heal democracy’s sore fingers. Rivers and Akwa Ibom States where democracy was put in abeyance deserve special attention.Hassan: An eye witness account by Emmanuel Gabriel Omonhinmi confirmed that the number of accredited […]

Odoife: Yes. We have taken one progressive step in our effort at deepening our democracy but we need to do some introspection and heal democracy’s sore fingers. Rivers and Akwa Ibom States where democracy was put in abeyance deserve special attention.
Hassan: An eye witness account by Emmanuel Gabriel Omonhinmi confirmed that the number of accredited voters in Akwa Ibom State during the governorship and House of Assembly elections was 647,215 whereas INEC in the state declared total votes cast for Mr Emmanuel as 996,071, showing a differential of 348,856 or 35 percent. The All Progressives Congress candidate, Umana Umana, polled 89,865.
Ayo: Observers said in the case of Akwa-Ibom state, elections were never held. All those who observed the election cried foul and one of them, Mr. Don Etiebet, a former petroleum resources minister, said the election was manipulated in favour of Mr. Emmanuel and that whatever was being done by the PDP to alter the figures is illegal and criminal. The former minister demanded the cancellation of the governorship election in the state.
Hafsat: This dangerous act of connivance between the governor, INEC and security agencies must be exposed as a heinous crime to sabotage democracy.
Odoifie: The European Union, United States Embassy Election Observers, the British High Commission observers in Nigeria and the Civil Societies Organization alongside INEC accredited Independent Observers, all indicted INEC’s conduct of the election in their report. They were all unanimous in saying “that election did not hold”
Chinyere: In Rivers State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was the first to blow the whistle when it said the general election was massively rigged. It also accused the state chapter of the PDP and INEC in the state of desperately trying to cover up evidence of the brazen rigging by filing a suit at the Federal High Court Port Harcourt, in which Rivers PDP and INEC are claiming that the INEC card readers meant to be used during the March 28 Presidential/National Assembly and April 11 Governorship/State Assembly elections in Rivers State were stolen by unknown persons, thus purportedly necessitating manual accreditation of ghost voters.
Ayo: This is not acceptable. Who will believe their tales by moonlight? They were only trying to cover their tracks. It has only exposed their desperation to dress up the circus elections they organised in March 28 and April 11, 2015.
Hafsat: They were so desperate to rig the elections that the PDP and INEC in Rivers found it convenient to ignore INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega’s directive that where the card reader failed to work, elections in such a place should be postponed till the next day, or in extreme cases, be called off.
Hassan: All they wanted was to deny Rivers people of their right to elect the leaders of their choice. INEC headquarters confirmed that only 300,000 voters were accredited via card reader for the April 11 gubernatorial election whereas 1.1 million votes were credited to PDP governorship candidate, Chief Nyesom Wike. This provides conclusive proof that there was no election in Rivers State.
Odoifie: All International Election Observers have said elections organised in Rivers State were flawed and marred by violence. However  Rivers INEC and PDP want the world to believe that those killed were victims of communal clashes and were not killed as a result of electoral violence they perpetuated in their desperation to rig the elections.
Chinyere: The setting up of the Rivers Commission of Inquiry by the Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to probe the destruction of properties and politically motivated killings is a wise move and all those who perpetuated the violence will soon be exposed. They should be punished for their crimes to serve as a deterrent to others.
Hafsat: Sadly intimidation and other forms of violence continued even after the elections. On May 13 2015, the brother on one of those billed to testify at the Rivers inquiry was kidnapped. Mr. Israel Okirie had petitioned the Commission on April 24 concerning killings in Omoku, (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA) in the state. It was gathered that the kidnappers warned Mr. Okirie not to appear before the Inquiry under any circumstances.
Hassan: To add salt to injury, PDP tried to halt the Inquiry by going to court and announcing that it will boycott the commission of inquiry. This shows that it has skeletons in its cupboard.
Ayo: I have been following reports from the elections inquiry and it is so heart rending. Mr Chijioke Ogbuagu, a resident of Omoku in ONELGA, contested the last election under APC for the State House of Assembly ONELGA Constituency 2. Mr Ogbuagu says guns had never been used in ONELGA before 2015.”We have never recorded any murder during or after election.”
Odofie:  I also listened to him. Mr Ogbuagu said the two chiefs that were murdered during the election were in their early 70’s, and late 60’s. His own house was burnt down. His elder brother and a security man were killed while a young man was killed at the APC office in the village. He said ‘nine people were killed in one day – on April 3 which was on Good Friday.” The killing started at Obrigom at late Chief C. N. Adube’s house, my political mentor.  From there they moved to my community.” “In Obrigom they killed seven persons. In Chief Adube’s house, they killed six – Adube, three of his children, his security staff.