Ahead Of Presidential, National Assembly Elections: PDP Council Exposes Amaechi’s Plan To Unleash Mayhem In Rivers 

The Rivers State PDP Campaign Council has alerted Nigerians and the international communities of covert plans by the Transportation Minister and former governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to cause havoc, destabilize, rig and abort the 2019 General Elections in the State.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Council’s Secretariat along Aba Road in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Director General of the Rivers PDP Campaign Council, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said PDP in the State were fully aware of plots and brazing determination by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to violently prevent the general elections from holding in Rivers State thereby scuttling the rights of the people to freely and fairly elect their leaders in the General Elections.

Akawor said what was more worrisome in the brazen show of power by the Transportation Minister and the APC in the State, was what he saw as the ominous silence maintained by the Presidency and security agencies.

He said APC’s consistent threat to unleash mayhem should the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fails to include its candidates in the elections in Rivers State is a source of worries and leaves no one in doubt that Amaechi and his APC elements meant to execute their evil plots.

“On the 23rd of January, 2019 some leaders of the APC addressed a world press conference wherein they issued a direct and specific public threat to the effect that there will be no National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Rivers State until all the cases pending before various courts have gone to the apex court for final decisions”, Akawor said.

The State PDP Campaign Council boss further recalled that similar threats were also made by Prince Tonye Princewill on February 7, 2019 when he was quoted as saying ‘it would be lawful to be lawless’ if INEC failed to include APC candidates in Rivers State in the ballot.

Akawor disclosed that APC’s threat of violence in the State climaxed during the party’s Presidential rally in Port Harcourt where Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi said APC was spoiling for war and arrogantly promised to deal with Governor Wike and the PDP.

According to Akawor, Amaechi underlined the seriousness of his threats, chanting a popular Igbo war song, ‘Orule Mgbe Anyi Gawa Anya; Onye Ujo Abiala Nga Anyi Nawa Anya’, meaning, it is time for war and weaklings should stay away.

Akawor went on that Tonye Princewill on February 17, 2019 again reaffirmed the subsisting threat and plot of the APC to disrupt, cause havoc and prevent the general elections in Rivers State.  He said Princewill made the threats in the following words: “…I still see disaster come Saturday.  Unless we’re on the ballot, the election won’t be smooth anywhere”.

Condemning the sealed lips maintained by the Presidency and security agencies in the face of the vexed actions of Transportation Minister and Prince Tonye Princewill, Akawor said rather than reprimand, investigate or arrest and prosecute them, Rivers people continues to witness more efforts by the APC, INEC and security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Army and Police to truncate the processes in the State.

He cited instances of deployment of military arsenal to cordon off, overrun and prevent voters from entering Okrika, Akuku Toru, Andoni, Asari Toru, Bonny, Degema and Opobo/Nkoro local government areas on the eve of the postponed Presidential Election.

Ambassador Akawor lashed on the APC-led government for re-engaging the Commander of SARS in Rivers State, Mr. Akin Fakorede as its ‘mercenary’ to execute its clandestine plot to rig the elections in the State.

He also accused the General Officer Commanding 6 Division of Nigerian Army, Bori Camp, Maj. Gen. Jamil Sarham of deploying masked gun-trotting soldiers to the State to aid the APC’s plot.

“We are also aware that the military has planned to cordon off collation centers across the State and prevent PDP agents access to these centers in order to rig the rescheduled elections on Saturday, February 23, 2019”, he said.

The Rivers PDP Campaign Council Chairman expressed confidence that the party had the capacity and the will to mobilize its teaming supporters to resist intimidation and defend the collective rights of the people of Rivers State.