Wike condemns arrests of PDP members by security agencies

Surprisingly, according to events that followed, Governor Wike went the Supreme Court to secure a stop the IGP from continuing with the investigation and a panel of judges of the apex court of the country granted his prayers. Question many Nigerians have asked since then is, what interest did Wike have in the killing of ASP Mohammed Alkali and others during the Rivers rerun elections.

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has described as unlawful arrests of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP members ahead of the Governorship and State Assembly elections of March 9, 2019.

Wike, who condemned the arrests, urged security agencies to be professional and unbiased in the discharge of their duties for the peaceful conduct of credible polls in the state.

He spoke during a State Broadcast on Friday ahead of the Governorship and State Assembly elections in Rivers State.

” We want to warn that such biased, politically induced arrests and malicious jailing of PDP leaders only serve to heat up the already volatile political atmosphere with heightened tensions and dissensions, which could cause serious problems to the peaceful conduct of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the State.

Wike demanded that the security operatives create the enabling peaceful electoral environment for our electorates to come out and orderly cast and have their votes counted in the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

The governor advised Rivers people to note that eternal vigilance was the price for freedom and that tyranny triumphed when the people allowed fear to overwhelm them.

He said general elections were about the electorate exercising their constitutional rights to elect their leaders through the ballot, saying that the exercise should not be a do-or-die affair.

He said: “For us in Rivers State, the March 9th 2019 general elections is about electing those who will preside over the affairs of our State as the Governor of the State and members of the State House of Assembly for the next four years from among the political parties and candidates already cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest.

“As important as these elections are because they are about our progress and our future as a State and as a people; still they do not call for violence, disruptions, snatching of election materials, harassment of electoral officers or rigging of any sort by any person, authority or agency”.

He said though it was unfortunate that the major opposition party in the State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not on the ballot for this particular round of elections, it did not justify any move to encourage violence.

He said: “As democrats, we sincerely sympathize with the APC and its supporters for this political misadventure. Yet, this circumstance neither warrants nor justifies the continuing threat by that party to violate the peace of the State and scuttle next Saturday’s Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

“That is why we commend the move by a faction of the APC led by the Minister of Transportation to stake its political fortunes in next Saturday’s elections with the candidates of the African Action Congress as the right thing to do instead of threatening mayhem on the State.”

The governor reassured of the commitment of his administration to meet halfway with all interest groups to reconcile and resolve all contending issues, including ongoing court cases and other grievances so as to foster unity, all-inclusiveness and accommodation in the governance of Rivers State.

It will be recalled Wike was linked with the killings recalled since 2015 during elections especially the beheading of an ASP, Muhammed Alkali, a Niger State, among others during the national assembly rerun election in the follow up the 2015 elections.

Recall also that, considering the weight of the killings, the then Inspector-General of Police Idris Kpotun Idris ordered investigation into the killings.

Surprisingly, according to events that followed, Governor Wike went the Supreme Court to secure a stop the IGP from continuing with the investigation and a panel of judges of the apex court of the country granted his prayers.

Question many Nigerians therefore ask since then is, what interest did Wike have in the killing of ASP Mohammed Alkali and others during the Rivers rerun elections?