Rivers Riverine Communities Accuse Fakorede, Army GOC Of Plotting To Rig Elections
…Says Fakorede’s Antecedents, Still Fresh In Mind
As protests continue to mount over plots by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to create chaos and scuttle the 2019 General Elections in Rivers State, the riverine Ijaw communities in Rivers State have accused the General Officer Commanding 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarham and the Commander of the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), ACP Akin Fakorede of fronting for the APC to rig the elections.
Speaking during a press conference at the PDP Campaign office along Aba Road, Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the group under the aegis of Stakeholders of the PDP in Akuku-Toru, Andoni, Asari Toru, Bonny, Degema, Ogu-Bolo, Okrika and Opobo/Nkoro local government areas, alleged that activities of the military and SARS operatives in the State point to conspiracy with the APC to rig and abort the peaceful conduct of the elections in the affected riverine communities.
The Coordinator of the PDP Stakeholders in the eight riverine Local Government Areas and former Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru regretted that while the PDP was committed to the success of the elections, Fakorede and the Army GOC allegedly constituted stumbling block to the realization of the exercise.
“As security officers, we expected General Sarham and Mr. Akin Fakorede to be neutral, honest and fair in the discharge of their election duties to the nation”, he said, adding that Akin Fakorede’s ignoble role at the .
Ikuru also accused the APC of recruiting and arming bandits to actualize its plan to rig or disrupt the elections from holding in all the riverine LGAs, saying APC resorted to the unwholesome act because ‘defeat stares them in the face’.
According to him, “These bandits have been detailed to storm our communities in speedboats and attack, overrun, and disrupt the voting process and destroy voting materials to such extent that would justify the total cancellation of the elections.
“In order to shore up support and enable this plot to succeed, the APC has allegedly connived with the duo of Major General Jamil Sarham and ACP Akin Victor Fakorede to provide cover for the APC bandits who will be clad in police and military uniforms”.
They further claimed that the Army GOC and SARS Commander have penciled for arrest and detention of the Council and Party Chairmen of all the eight local government councils and other principal leaders of the party ‘until after the Presidential election’.
While calling on the international community to bear on INEC to allow the conduct of a free and fair poll in the affected communities, Ikuru declared that ugly consequences arising from the elections should be blamed on SARS and Army Commander.
