The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has expressed the hope that the federal government will seek justice for victims of the violence that greeted the Presidential and National Assembly elections in parts of the state last weekend.
This is as the party congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory for a second term in office at the just-concluded polls.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt yesterday, governorship candidate of APC in the state, Pastor Tonye Cole, expressed the party’s condolences to the families of those killed during the elections in the state.
Cole said: “Over the past few days, Rivers State has once again been in the headlines globally for all the wrong reasons.
“In a nationwide election that sought to elect a President for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and members of the National Assembly, our dear state was characterised with armed conflict which unfortunately led to the death of innocent Nigerians that had simply sought to exercise their civic duty of participating in an electoral process’’.
“At this juncture allow me to express my most profound and sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones last weekend. In particular, we reach out to the family of Miss Ibisaki Amachree who was shot while on duty’’.
“One death is one too many and no one has the right to kill in the name of power and politics. May the souls of all those who died this weekend rest in peace and the families should be rest assured that the federal government will seek justice for them, no matter how long it takes.”
He said the party is currently seeking advice from its lawyers to know whether to file a libel suit against those who accused some chieftains of the party who are from Akuku-Toru local government area of the area, of being behind the violence that occurred at Abonnema, headquarters of the local government area.
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The APC governorship candidate said: “It has been my personal plea and mantra as well as that of the APC that the violence meted out on our members and citizens of the state in 2015 and immediately thereafter has no place in any modern society, especially one that desperately needs to grow economically and develop for the betterment of her people.
“We have called for peace and peaceful elections at every stage, but it is unfortunate that there are people hell bent to cling on to power at any cost, even to the taking of human lives.
“I have been shocked and saddened by statements and comments attributed to the Rivers State governor that Prof. Charles Dokubo-Quakers, Prince Tonye Princewill and I are responsible for the carnage and deaths in Abonnema last weekend.
“These malicious and unfounded allegations are being investigated and our lawyers will advice on possible libel suits to take against those who have peddled these wicked falsehoods.”
Cole stated that the result of the just concluded Presidential elections is an indication of a new beginning and trajectory with respect to elections in Rivers State, pointing that days of using political thugs to hijack electoral materials were over.
He said: “The result of the just concluded Presidential elections is an indication of a new beginning and trajectory with respect to elections in Rivers State. Gone are the days when political thugs would hijack electoral materials and allocate hundreds of thousands of imaginary votes to their party.
“The results from the various units, wards and local government areas confirms this and further highlights the depth of rigging and manipulation of the 2015 elections that APC as a party had complained about.
“All that is required of anyone desirous of the truth is to compare the 2015 electoral figures where total votes cast was 1,584,768 with APC getting 69,238 while PDP got 1,487,075; to that of 2019 where total votes cast was 666,585 with APC getting 150,710 (even after 72,000 votes in Emohua was unconstitutionally removed) and PDP getting 473,971 and the story would clearly unfold.”
The APC governorship candidate expressed the hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will relist candidates of the party on the ballot before the March 9, 2019 Governorship and House of Assembly elections.
