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Peterside
and Abe led 48 candidates who contested various elections in Rivers State to INEC Head office
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Security operatives yesterday tear-gassed Rivers State
governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 11
election, Dakuku Peterside, and Senator Magnus Abe at the headquarters of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. Peterside and Abe led a
team of 48 candidates who contested in various elections in the state and
reporters to submit a protest letter to INEC’s Acting Chairman, Hajia Amina
Zakari, against the state Resident Electoral Commission (REC) for allegedly
refusing to give them certified true copies (CTC) of the materials used in the
elections. The APC candidates, who
arrived at the INEC headquarters at 11:15am, were prevented from getting close
to the gate by a combined team of mobile police and the Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The security agencies
insisted that the team would not be allowed to go beyond the barricaded areas
since it had no prior information of the visit.
The Nation report
continues:
INEC’s Deputy Director in
charge of security, Victor Egbun, told the party stalwarts that they could only
send a representative to meet the commission’s acting chairman and submit their
protest letter to her.
The team comprised former
House of Representatives members, like Andrew Uchendu, Otelemaba Amachree,
Dawari George, Igochukwu Aguma, former members of the Rivers State House of
Assembly and Rivers State APC Chairman Denis Ebiamo Ikanya.
The security officials
threatened to shoot the party chieftains, if they crossed the barricaded areas.
This forced them to raise
their voices and move towards the INEC gate, which the security operatives had
locked.
As the APC chieftains
approached the gate, chanting solidarity songs, the security officials released
some canisters of tear gas in front of them and reporters to disperse the
crowd.
Peterside said: “We are
candidates of the APC at various categories in the last elections. We are here
to register our protest to INEC.
“Immediately after the
elections, in accordance with the law, we applied for the certified true copies
of documents used in the conduct of the elections.
“It is unfortunate that
till date, we have not got the certified copies of the election materials, even
when it is clear in the law that it must be released within seven days of receiving
the application. As if that was not enough, we have approached various
tribunals, which have also ordered the release of the materials. But
unfortunately, those orders have not been complied with till date.
“We do not have the
documents to prosecute our cases. INEC in Rivers State has done everything
humanly possible to frustrate our cases at the various tribunals. Dame Ghesilla
Khan, who is Rivers State REC, has insisted that she was under instruction from
the national office not to release the documents to us. That is why we are here
to deliver our protest to INEC’s Acting Chairman.
“We have written between
26 and 27 petitions on this issue and we have not got any serious response. We
are aware that the acting chairman has made several memos to the Rivers REC,
asking her to comply with the law by releasing the required materials. But she
has wilfully refused to comply with the law by releasing and properly
certifying those documents for us to use to prosecute our cases at the various
tribunals.
“All we need is for INEC
to abide by the law, by releasing to us all the certified materials we have
requested for. We are not asking anybody to do us any order favour. The
Electoral Act is very clear: if you apply within a period of seven days, those
documents must be released to you.
“I am shocked that our
peaceful request and visit today was greeted with canisters of tear gas which
INEC officials have ordered their security operatives to suffocate us with.”
Senator Abe expressed
surprise at the way security officials treated the APC team.
The lawmaker urged the
government to investigate the incident.
He noted that INEC
security officials violated the delegates’ human rights by using tear gas,
since they were peaceful.
Abe said: “This singular
act of the Rivers REC, if not checked, could lead to a breach of the peace in
the state. Our simple request is now being frustrated by the same INEC that
caused the crisis in the state. The only way to ensure peace in Rivers State is
to ensure that INEC obeys the law and releases those documents to allow our
cases to be determined by law. We, as law-abiding citizens, will obey the
outcome of our cases at the various tribunals.
“But a situation where
the same person, who created this same situation, is allowed to frustrate the
case, I do not know how our people would take that. Nigerians need to be aware
that Rivers State is still a flashpoint, if these issues are not dealt with
expeditiously…”
INEC’s Director of
Security, Shettima Ngilade, after two hours, urged the APC team to obey the
directives of INEC Acting Chairman and send only their representatives.
He said: “…This is a
public place. We cannot refuse you entry into the premises; we have procedures
of doing things.
“With the way you
arrived, we had every reason to fear because even the Rivers State Electoral
Commissioner is inside, meeting with the Acting Chairman. There was no prior
information about your coming to the commission for us to arrange so that you
can see the Acting Chairman.
“What we can only do here
is to allow a few of your representatives to go inside and meet with the ACTING
Chairman or you hand over your protest letter to us to give her. We cannot
allow you to move in this your numbers.”
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