Rivers Rerun And 2019 Elections

ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, writes on the aftermath of the federal and state legislative elections in Rivers State and the implications for 2019 in the state.

With the conclusion of the legislative rerun election in Rivers State, the eyes of political gladiators in the state are now focused on the 2019 general election.

Also, political analysts believe that the outcome of the rerun election would not only change the political equation in the state, but will determine what would become of the politics of 2019.

Before the Court of Appeal ordered for rerun of almost all the National and State Assembly seats, which was concluded on December 10, 2016, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was was in full control of the State House of Assembly, as well as produced the three senators that represented the state in the National Assembly.

However, with the results of the rerun election so far released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state now has one senator (Senator Magnus Ngei Abe of the Rivers South-East senatorial district).

The APC also won three seats in the House of Representatives (Dr. Barry Mpigi of Tai/Eleme/Oyigbo Federal Constituency; Hon. Maurice Pronen of Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency and Elder Chidi Wiyioka of Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency).

The opposition party also has in its kitty, courtesy of the just concluded rerun election in the state, six State House of Assembly seats (Hon. Azubuike Wanjoku of Ikwerre Constituency; Dr. Innocent Bariko of Gokana Constituency and Hon. Friday Nkeeh of Khana Constituency 11.

Others are Hon. Josiah John Olu of Eleme Constituency, Hon. Benibo Anabraba of Akuku-Toru Constituency 11; Hon. Mathew Dike of Tai Constituency and Hon. Victoria Nyeche of Port Harcourt Constituency 1.

Seen as a test case for the 2019 election, the outcome of the legislative rerun election in the state seems to have given the APC some sense of belonging and acceptance amongst the electorate. For the ruling PDP, the polls provides a cause for concern and to prepare for a battle come the next general election.

While Governor Nyesom Wike is preparing for a second term in office come 2019, the Senator Magnus Abe and the Director-General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, who are both chieftains of the APC, will likely test their popularity during the 2019 governorship election.

While Peterside, who was APC governorship candidate during the 2015 elections, has not hidden his intention to run for the office of the governor in 2019, Abe, who was secretary to the Rivers State Government between 2007 and 2011, has not shown any sign of interest.

However, there is a general believe among the people of Rivers South-East senatorial district, especially Ogonis, that Wike campaigned against the election of Abe due to his fears that the lawyer-cum politician would be a stumbling block to his re-election bid come 2019.

To Abe, he cannot afford to fail the people of the seven local government areas that make up the senatorial district, added to that he was determined more than ever to tackle the problems of the district headlong.

The former Secretary to the Rivers State government, urged the people to continuously pray for God’s guidance and direction, saying, “Rather than for me to fail, it would have been better I didn’t even win. I cannot afford to fail.”

“I want to plead with everybody to pray for me. Don’t stop because we have won election. It is now that I actually need your prayers. We need to pray for people who are not selfish that will help us. We need to pray for the people who have grace to advise us properly.

“We need to pray for strength and health so that we can meet up with the expectation of people physically. We need to pray for opportunities so that we do not disappoint the people that have invested so much hope and trust in us”.

Abe, who assured the people of the district that he would step up actions to achieve his campaign promises, pointed out that what is needed on his own part was hardwork and clear cut plans to achieve the promises.

The senator said, “One gift the lord has given me is that I understand the value of hard work and I know that if you want to succeed in anything, you must work harder and I am going to work harder now.”

To Wike, he believes that governors of the APC -controlled states spent a whopping sum of N4bn to subvert the democratic rights of the people of the state during the just concluded legislative rerun election.

Wike, who spoke in a state-wide broadcast in Port Harcourt, said the APC governors are from Bauchi, Benue, Kano and Plateau States, adding that the governors contributed N1bn each to ensure that the party’s candidates succeeded in the December 10 rerun election.

The governor said, “Indeed, never in our history have Rivers people been so physically, mentally and psychologically brutalized, traumatized and denied their rights to freely and fairly elect our leaders by shameless gangs of hired, power-drunk, trigger-happy and irresponsible security officers and their political collaborators.

“Unfortunately, the brazen subversion of our democratic rights that took place on the 10th of December 2016, was carefully planned and orchestrated by some highly-placed and desperate politicians from the State in concert with the Governors of Bauchi, Benue, Kano and Plateau States, who reportedly bankrolled the plan with the sum of one billion naira each, at a time they cannot pay salaries of civil servants, let alone embark on development projects in their States.

He insisted that operatives of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies got involved in the rerun election in order to rescue the APC, which he described as a dying party, saying that the people of the state were unhappy with the manner in which security operatives got involved.

Wike said, “We wish to most sincerely thank you all for your enthusiasm and participation in the just concluded re-run legislative elections in the State despite the many troubles you had to go through before and during the elections.

“We appreciate you all for your courage and determined effort to defend your votes and ensure that you exercise your democratic rights to freely elect your representatives at the National and State Assemblies in the face of the malicious intimidation and obvious threat to your personal security.

“We know that most of you are clearly unhappy with the manner the election process was brazenly maneuvered with federal might to undeservedly return some candidates at all cost, but we still have to thank God Almighty and give Him the glory for the outcome, because it could have been far worse.

“They ignored us when we drew their attention to the persistent abuse of public office by Mr. Stephen Hasso, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations and CSP Akin Fakorede, the Commander, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and the threat they posed to the peaceful conduct of the re-run elections.

“They accused us of raising unnecessary alarms when we cried aloud over their devilish plans to use the federally-controlled SARS to disenfranchise our people and manipulate the re-run election process towards achieving some pre-arranged outcomes against the will of the people.”

In a swift reaction, the APC publicity secretary in the state, Senibo Chris Finebone, described the governor’s accusations against governors of the party as ‘mere figments of his wild imagination’, saying that no governor donated any money for the rerun election in Rivers State.

Finebone said, “The accusations by Governor Nyesom Wike in his broadcast are mere figments of his wild imagination. No APC governor donated any money for the rerun election in Rivers State. The APC governors merely showed up to solidarise with party members and candidates.

“APC governors don’t behave like their PDP colleagues. I think the whole obsession with federal might by Governor Wike stems from his use of federal might to rig and kill himself to power in 2015, the APC has nothing to do with that.

“Governor Wike should exorcise the spirit of what he did in 2015 so that he will be free from his present hallucination around federal might that is not in use today unlike was done during the last PDP federal administration. The governor can continue to waste our commonwealth on media propaganda that will lead him no where.

“The rerun elections are over, we will followup our oversight on all the projects he campaigned with in the name of flag off. Soon, the scales will fall off the eyes of Rivers people and they’ll see through the governor’s scam.”