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By Joel Anekwe
The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the acting Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed Adamu to set up a panel to “probe the brazen involvement of the Rivers State Commander of F-SARS, Mr. Akin Fakorode and his gang of police operatives” and their activities during the elections.
The call is in line with the chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Tukur Burata whom the party has praised for inaugurating the Major-General TA Gagariga-led committee to probe the allegations of misconduct, including the assassination attempt on Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike by soldiers during the 2019 general elections.
Felix Obuah, chairman of Rivers PDP at a press conference in Port Harcourt Saturday evening, accused Akin Fakorode, the commander of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and some of his operatives of carrying out an “organized invasion of polling units, collation centers, abduction of electoral officers and the shooting and killing of innocent persons during the general elections at Khana, Gokana, Ikwerre, Eleme, Tai, Oyigbo and Ogu/Bolo local governments of the state.”
He announced: “As we speak, one of the victims of Akin Fakorode’s assault, Dr. Ferry Gberegbe, a senior lecturer at the Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic has died of gunshot wounds, while Mr. Marvin Lezor Kpea-ue, Raymond Ledogo and several persons are presently battling with life-threatening injuries inflicted on them by Akin Fakorode and his murderous gang.
“We wish to reiterate that Mr. Akin Fakorede has over the years become a recurrent obstacle to the peaceful conduct of general elections in Rivers State; and he does so with provocative bravado and criminality.
“It is on record that Mr. Akin Fokorode was copiously indicted by INEC’s investigative panel for direct interference and involvement in the violence and rigging that characterized the 10th December 2016 and 18th August 2018 Legislative Houses re-run elections in Rivers State.
“Unfortunately and to the consternation of law abiding citizens, because nothing has been done to bring him to justice, Mr. Akin Fakorode continues to revel in his criminally culpable assault against our electoral system and the people of Rivers State and getting away with willful assault, murder and criminal violence as if he is above the law.
“This time around, it is our hope and prayer that Akin Fakorode must not escape justice for his numerous crimes against the electoral system and the people of Rivers State, which can only happen with his arrest, investigation and trial as the law demands. Otherwise, such acts of impunity and disregard for the laws of our country will not stop”.
He assured that the chief of Army Staff that the PDP would appear, present and prove before the committee with facts and evidence of the atrocities committed by his soldiers against the electoral process and the people of Rivers State before, during and after the 2019 general elections.
He said the party, after a thorough and holistic review of the report and findings of INEC’s fact-finding committee on the governorship and state House of Assembly elections had in a release on the night of Friday 15th March 2019 came to the conclusion that INEC has the complete collated results of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in 17 local government areas of the state in safe custody; that 21 out of 32 state constituency results of the state had already been declared and returned as elected prior to when it suspended the electoral process in the state and that it would on 20th March 2019 issue detailed timelines and activities for the completion of the election in the state.
“The PDP accepts the afore-mentioned pronouncements of the INEC as substantial representation of the true state of the electoral process before the suspension”, he declared.
He however, drew the INEC’s attention to the fact that in addition to the 17 Local Government Areas with fully collated results, the elections also successfully held and results declared at the unit and ward levels in five of the six other Local Government Areas where full collation of results is still pending.
“We therefore urge the INEC to follow its guidelines to fill the missing gap, if any, in the collation process for the remaining five local government areas by generating the full results from the unit results already in its custody and declare our candidates the clear and unassailable winners of the 9th March 2019 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.
“We commend the INEC for standing by the truth and for its courage and principled determination to ensure that the votes of the people of Rivers State as freely and overwhelmingly expressed on the 9th of March 2019 in favour of the PDP effectively count,” Obuah stated.
