Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogoni Local Government Areas in Rivers State have expressed fears that 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 would sabotage Saturday General Elections.
Addressing a press conference at the State PDP Campaign Council office in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the Ogoni leaders said the ignoble actions of Fakorede and Sarham would prevent people in Ogoni LGAs of Oyigbo, Eleme, Tai, Gokana and Khana from participating in the exercise.
At the press conference which was read by Senator Lee Maeba, the Ogonis said the activities of the officers ran counter to all the assurances given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the rescheduled elections of February 23 and March 9, 2019 would be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere.
They alleged that despite the assurances, APC chieftains in the State led by Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi under the watchful eyes of President Buhari threatened to visit mayhem to the State should APC candidates in the State not included in the elections.
He said the threats from the APC chieftains in the State coupled with intimidations and harassment by soldiers and police is a source of worries to Ogonis who have mobilized its people to participate fully in the elections.
“We are however worried over the design by the APC to prevent the peaceful conduct of the elections through the use of violence. Worse still is the failure of the federal government-controlled security agencies to arrest and prosecute the APC chieftains including the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi who is threatening to take the laws into their hands and ensure that havoc would be brought to the State for no just cause”, he said.
The Ogonis stated that Fakorede and Sarham have become partners and participated actively in the politics of Rivers State on the side of the APC.
The Senator said Ogonis experienced an indication of the Army GOC’s romance with the APC when he sent soldiers to Ogoniland on Friday, February 15, 2019 to prevent those who were travelling home for the election, 24 hours to the commencement of movement restriction.
Maeba in the 12-point allegations against the police and army officer respectively, further accused them of flooding soldiers in Eleme, Tai, Gokana and Khana LGAs who are arresting, molesting and detaining members of the PDP in those places, where he said voting will be high for the PDP.
“The primary plan of the APC for the general elections is to use thugs to attack polling stations, shoot sporadically to scare voters on the queue and cart away voting materials, and this could lead to cancellation of elections in those areas with overwhelming high votes from the PDP”, he revealed.
It is on the strength of these allegations that the Ogoni leaders calls on the international community, especially the European Union, United States, Britain and France to put maximum pressure on INEC and the federal government of Nigeria to allow peaceful, free and credible elections in Ogoni land.
