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NewsThree killed, secretariats razed in the aftermath of LG Election in Rivers...

Three killed, secretariats razed in the aftermath of LG Election in Rivers state.

8th October 2024

 

The political crisis in Rivers State on took a violent dimension on Monday October 7th leading to the killing of about four persons amongst whom was a brother to Chief of Staff to Rivers state government and about three others.

Three local government secretariats were torched by suspected thugs just after the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the unsealing and withdrawal of the policemen guarding the council premises.

The ugly development disrupted the planned resumption of the 23 newly elected local government chairmen and the inauguration of 314 councillors.

Emohua Local Government Area was reportedly taken over by members of the Peoples Democratic Party opposed to the council poll which was held on Saturday, October five.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC had on Sunday rejected the conduct and outcome of the local government election, stating that no local government election held in Rivers State on Saturday.

The Rivers State PDP loyal to the former governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, described the poll as an exercise in futility and vowed to challenge it in court.

Despite the opposition to the poll, Fubara swore in the newly elected council chairmen at the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House in Port Harcourt, on Sunday.

The council election was won by Fubara’s alleged allies in the Action Peoples Party which secured 22 out of 23 chairmanship positions, while the Action Alliance candidate won one seat.

The APP also won 314 out of the 319 councillorship seats in the 23 LGAs in the state.

The new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, who withdrew the policemen guarding the secretariats on Monday, explained that it was in compliance with the IG’s directives.

The police had sealed the 23 LGA headquarters in July following the crisis that greeted the attempted tenure elongation of the former LGA chairmen in the state.

The command said the decision was in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.

However, consequent upon the the conduct and election of democratically elected executive, the IGP ordered the unsealing of the Local Government Secretariats, which were earlier secured by police personnel.

“The police maintained that it will only be redeployed to these locations in the event of any crisis or breakdown of law and order, in which case emergency measures will be swiftly implemented to restore normalcy.’’

But a few hours after the elected LG chairmen attempted to enter the secretariats to swear in their councillors, gunshots and violence broke out in some areas.

In Ahoada East Local Government Area, as the chairman and his councillors tried to access the secretariat, loud gunshots rent the air.

As a violent protest erupted in front of the council, a detachment of policemen was deployed to quell the situation which later got out of hand.

The policemen were forced to fire several gunshots into the air to disperse the crowd, and soldiers arrived at the scene and allegedly took over the secretariat.

During the ensuing battle, a relative of the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Edison Ehie, was reportedly shot dead.

The state Secretary of the Inter-State Party Advisory Council, Benjamin Ogbobula, confirmed the incident.

He condemned the torching of several council secretariats in the state.

At the Obio/Akpor council secretariat, scores of youths were spotted wielding machetes, bottles and sticks.

The youths later clashed with another group at the council secretariat while gunshots rang out shortly after the Chairman of the local government, Chijioke Ihunwo, inaugurated the newly elected councillors.

Some scaled the fence of the secretariat for safety, while others ran for their lives through the back gate.

It was also gathered that friends and well-wishers who came to grace the inauguration ran for their lives.

In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, a similar protest took place as some youths blocked the entrance of the council headquarters in an attempt to stop the new local government chairman from entering the premises.

Online videos showed some youths destroying plastic chairs outside the secretariat even as they afterwards forced their way into the premises after unlocking the gate.

In Eleme LGA, a section of the council secretariat was set ablaze with substances suspected to be dynamites.

This occurred before the local government chairman, Brian Gokpa, arrived at the secretariat with his councillors and supporters.

It was gathered that some properties were looted before the hoodlums torched the building but the fire was extinguished by the chairman’s supporters before the officials of the fire service arrived.

However, offices, windows, doors, and stationery were destroyed by the fire.

Gokpa assured that the incident would not affect the discharge of his constitutional duties to the people of the area.

He stated, “On reaching here this morning we found the secretariat being torched by hoodlums who don’t mean well for Eleme people. This act was carried out around 8am-8:30am.

“It was looted first before it was set ablaze. If you go around now you won’t find anything. The furniture, fridge, air conditioners, everything in the offices were looted.

In Khana Local Government Area, a man said to be the father of one of the newly elected councilors, was hit by a bullet fired by some hoodlums who shot sporadically near the Rectors’ Lodge where the swearing-in of the councillors was about to take place in Bori, the council headquarters.

Commenting on the development in the state, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed, noted that his Rivers State counterpart had proven himself a true democrat.

Mohammed said Fubara against all odds pushed through with his decisions and actions to deepen democracy.

The Bauchi State governor reportedly said this after he witnessed the swearing-in of the 23 council chairmen, according to a statement on Monday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Nelson Chukwudi.

He described as unacceptable the plot to undermine the office and person of the Rivers state governor.

He added, “A governor is the chief executive, he can do anything. He can spring surprises because the Nigerian state is run by governors at the sub-national level.

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