The rivalry between the APC and PDP in Rivers has been well documented. It is no longer a secret that they are both at daggers drawn. On Monday 3rd of April 2023, things came to ahead between both parties. Rivers State residents had braced up for work and business activities but somewhere in front of the building housing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Aba Road Headquarters in Port Harcourt Rivers State, a strange scene appeared. Political group comprising of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were dressed up in immaculate attires except one man who was half naked in traditional African native attire. He appeared in red loin tired around his waist and his face painted in white chalky material while holding fresh Palm fronds, a non-communicable insignia for danger in the Ikwerre traditional setting and an iron strings alarming bells of giggling sounds.
City People Magazine Reporter gathered that PDP had the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area Samuel Nwanosike Ph.D and Honourable Ehie Edison representing Ahoada East State Constituency in Rivers state House of Assembly all were leaders who mobilised other loyalists of the party to demand that PDP be allowed to inspect the electoral materials as well of which All Progressives Congress APC Rivers State had already been granted an Order of Court to inspect the electoral materials used in the conduct of the Saturday 25th February and 18th, March, 2023 General elections in Rivers State which had National Assembly, State Governorship and State House of Assembly elections materials.
Unknown to All Progressives Congress APC Rivers State led by the governorship candidate Pastor Architect Tonye Cole, who gathered with his loyalists at GRA junction Aba Road few meters away from INEC office, the fracas that erupted led to the loss of lives and several injured persons including Tonye Cole, who sustained serious injury. Not done with the brouhaha at Aba Road end of Port Harcourt City the APC team retreated to their Woji Road GRA Phase 2 party office in Port Harcourt and more fracas and mayhem also took place which led Tonye Cole to put up a telephone call to Rivers State Police Commissioner demanding for protection.
The Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiemi in a Press Release vide INEC/RS/PM/387/374 and dated 4th April, 2023 and titled Issuance Of Certified True Copies And Access For Inspection Of Election Materials… said “the commission has observed with equanimity the unfolding events in the past few days concerning the issuance of Certified True Copies of election materials and access for inspection of election materials used during the just concluded 2023 General Elections in Rivers State.
“Although the application of Certified True Copies of documents and access for inspection of election materials are the legitimate entitlement of Candidates and Parties to Election Petitions, these are however governed by processes and procedures which include payment of requisite fees, making copies/photocopies of relevant documents and certification by the authorised official of the commission.
“The commission has received nearly fifty (50) of these applications since the conclusion of the Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly elections Rivers State and a good number of these applications have been processed in accordance with the date of receipt of such applications and payment of certification fees. This process is still on-going.
“The commission have also advised all applicants to visit our Local Government offices where these documents are domiciled for inspection while we work out modalities for inspection of other documents domiciled at the state office in accordance with available spaces but they insisted that the huge volumes of documents like ballot papers be brought to the state office. They are once again reminded to avail themselves of this opportunity at our Local Government offices to inspect these materials as earlier advised.
“The management of INEC Rivers State therefore wishes to assure all applicants and the general public that the commission is committed to discharging its constitutional and lawful duties without preferences or bias, and do request the co-operation and understanding of all parties and the general public to enable us serve you better”. Behind the public agitation for CTC are many underlining issues on who occupies Brick House Port Harcourt Rivers State seat of political power. First, the outgoing Governor Wike has never stopped at prosecuting his predecessor Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the APC governorship candidate Pastor Architect Tonye Cole over the allegations of selling Rivers State Government properties worth over Fifty Million United States of American Dollars $50m.
Not only this, the fear of retributive justice should APC governorship candidate Pastor Tonye Cole be declared winner of the Rivers State governorship election, it will be the turn of Nyesom Ezenwo Wike to be prosecuted for the alleged miss use of appropriation of stste funds from May, 29th 2015 to 29th of May 2023. So, both are gripped with absolute fear of prosecution. And this is what has led to a political party that won election being the first to arrive and occupy INEC office so as to prevent APC from accessing the interior of the INEC complex to examine the electoral materials irrespective of the facts that they have been briefed to go to their various Local Government Areas where INEC had offices and access those Electoral ballot papers and other sundry documents. Instead the pressure to be at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Port Harcourt headquarters had heightened tension leading to loss of live and several injured persons.
Apart from the above reasons, the personality clash between Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the incumbent Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike over who should be a leading political godfather in Rivers State is worsening the struggle for the Government House race. Imagine where Governor Wike has pushed Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi out from APC Rivers State chapter and taking over the inner running of the party under political surrogacy of Honourable Chief Tony Okocha former Chief of Staff to Amaechi now claiming to be the leader of APC in Rivers State whereas Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi had been the leader of APC in Rivers State with Chief Emeka Beke as state Chairman.
More trouble may erupt as Pastor Tonye Cole had issued a verbal statement that there will be no Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal sitting if his party fails to have access to Certified True Copies of Electoral materials at the right time which was part of the reasons of blocking INEC office in Port Harcourt for some days. Apart from that, unreliable sources revealed that there is ongoing political horse trading where some opposition contestants who participated but lost in the 2023 election have been paid off in hundreds of millions of naira just to stay off from coming to testify against the ruling party at the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal. So, the political war going on in Rivers State may get messier in days to come if not curtailed from snowballing to the resumption of secret cult clashes which was the case in Rivers State on the emergence of the 4th Republic.
– Emeka Amaefula
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