Rivers\u00a0 State Governor,\u00a0 Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the negative
\nroles played by the Nigerian Army during the 2019 general\u00a0 elections is
\nthe worst in the history of the country, saying that the Nigerian Army’s
\npolitical interference in the state is the most unfortunate infraction in
\nthe nation’s\u00a0 democratic\u00a0 experience.<\/p>\n
Governor Wike formally requested for the redeployment\u00a0 of the General
\nOfficer Commanding ( GOC) 6 Division,\u00a0 Major General Jamil Sarhem for
\ndeliberately\u00a0 subverting the general\u00a0 \u00a0elections\u00a0 in Rivers State .<\/p>\n
Governor Wike spoke on Friday when he granted audience to\u00a0 the Nigerian
\nArmy Committee on Electoral Violence during the 2019 at the Government
\nHouse,\u00a0 Port Harcourt.<\/p>\n
He said: “Throughout\u00a0 my experience politically, I have never seen the
\nNigerian Army play the kind of role they played during the last General
\nElections.<\/p>\n
“The Nigerian Army purely made political\u00a0 interferences all through.\u00a0 We
\nwill show you the visuals of the roles played by the Nigerian Army.\u00a0 If
\nyou go to the 6 Division,\u00a0 unless they have moved them out, you will see
\nballot boxes and\u00a0 electoral\u00a0 materials.\u00a0 The 6 Division\u00a0 served as the
\ntake off base for the Electoral Interference.<\/p>\n
“We formally request that appropriate sanctions be meted out to the GOC of
\nthe 6 Division.\u00a0 It has never happened that the Army Division becomes the
\noperational base of a political party.\u00a0 This GOC became actively involved
\nin politics. He has his own Government\u00a0 in Rivers State.\u00a0 He has no
\nrespect for civil authority.<\/p>\n
“We seek the immediate redeployment of the GOC, Major General Jamil
\nSarhem.\u00a0 He cannot\u00a0 fight crime. Leaving the GOC here, will be creating
\nmore crisis. He is here to fight crime and not to play politics.\u00a0 If
\nsoldiers fight crime, the way they intervened in last elections,\u00a0 there
\nwill be no kidnapper anywhere “.<\/p>\n
He said that elections\u00a0 took place across\u00a0 Rivers State in the polling
\nunits.\u00a0 He noted that aside Abua\/Odual Local Government Area,\u00a0 Rivers
\npeople voted.<\/p>\n
The Governor regretted that the challenge\u00a0 came during the Collation,
\nwhen operatives\u00a0 of the Nigerian Army invaded Collation Centres to cart
\naway Form EC 8C for the Governorship Election\u00a0 and Form EC 8b1 for the
\nHouse\u00a0 of Assembly elections.<\/p>\n
“Elections\u00a0 took place in Rivers\u00a0 State at the polling units.\u00a0 The only
\nLGA\u00a0 where elections\u00a0 did not hold was in Abua\/Odual.<\/p>\n
“It was during the Collation\u00a0 that operatives of the Nigerian Army
\ninterfered. They will invade a Collation Centre,\u00a0 arrest the Electoral
\nOfficer,\u00a0 Returning Officer\u00a0 and mercilessly beat up the PDP agents. They
\ncarted away Form EC 8c for the Governorship election and Form EC 8b for
\nthe House of Assembly elections “, Governor Wike told the Army
\nInvestigative Committee.<\/p>\n
Governor Wike took time to enumerate\u00a0 the areas where the Nigerian Army
\nunleashed\u00a0 violence and\u00a0 deaths\u00a0 on Rivers people.\u00a0 He also listed the
\nnames of Army Personnel\u00a0 who led the operations.<\/p>\n
The Governor regretted\u00a0 that the Nigerian Army was relegated beyond
\ncomprehension\u00a0 as the GOC\u00a0 took orders from the Minister of Transportation
\non the deployment of soldiers\u00a0 to opposition leaders in the state.<\/p>\n
He noted that the situation\u00a0 became so bad that the Minister of
\nTransportation\u00a0 had more than a platoon of soldiers\u00a0 attached\u00a0 to him each
\ntime he visited Rivers State to carry out his anti-democratic\u00a0 activities.<\/p>\n
The Governor stated that soldiers\u00a0 indiscriminately\u00a0 arrested and
\ndetained over 200 PDP leaders agents and supporters\u00a0 at Bori Camp before,
\nduring and after the 2019 Governorship and State Assembly elections.<\/p>\n
He said as a sitting governor, he has no soldiers\u00a0 attached to him, but
\nordinary\u00a0 opposition\u00a0 leaders have several soldiers\u00a0 attached\u00a0 to them for
\nillegal\u00a0 activities during the elections.<\/p>\n
Governor Wike said the committee\u00a0 should ensure that that it unravels\u00a0 all
\nthe illegal actions taken by the Nigerian Army during the elections .
\nHe particularly\u00a0 decried the invasion\u00a0 of the home of the Rivers\u00a0 State
\nEducation Commissioner , the harassment of his family\u00a0 and his subsequent
\narrest.<\/p>\n
Governor Wike informed\u00a0 the committee\u00a0 that in one of the post election
\nbriefings at Bori Camp, the GOC wondered why the soldiers failed to kill
\nhim.<\/p>\n
Also speaking,\u00a0 Rivers State Education Commissioner,\u00a0 Dr Tamunosisi
\nGogo-Jaja outlined\u00a0 the trauma he faced alongside\u00a0 his family\u00a0 during the
\ninvasion\u00a0 of his home by the Nigerian Army.<\/p>\n
He\u00a0 explained\u00a0 how he was interrogated\u00a0 by the GOC at the 6 Division after
\nhis arrest.\u00a0 The Commissioner\u00a0 shocked\u00a0 the committee when he informed
\nthat upon his release he was driven home by the Rivers State Commander of
\nFederal Special Anti-Robbery Squad,\u00a0 Akin Fakorede.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Nigerian Army Investigative committee on Electoral
\nViolence,\u00a0 Major General Ayibakuro Gagariga\u00a0 said the committee\u00a0 was
\nestablished\u00a0 by the Chief of Army Staff to investigate allegations of
\nmisconduct\u00a0 against\u00a0 the Nigerian Army.<\/p>\n
He noted that the committee\u00a0 would look into cases of alleged
\ninterference\u00a0 by the Nigerian Army during the General Elections in Rivers
\nState.<\/p>\n
“There was the killing of Lt Gumi in Abonnema.\u00a0 Others were also killed
\nduring\u00a0 the elections\u00a0 in Rivers State.\u00a0 There is also the allegation on
\nthe attempt\u00a0 to assassinate the Rivers State Governor “, he said.<\/p>\n
High-point\u00a0 of the meeting was the visual presentation\u00a0 of all the
\nlocations\u00a0 of Army invasion to the committee members. The governor also
\npresented a pictorial\u00a0 overview\u00a0 of the interference\u00a0 of the Nigerian Army
\nin the Electoral Process in the state.<\/p>\n
Rivers\u00a0 State Governor,\u00a0 Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the negative roles played by the Nigerian Army during the 2019 general\u00a0 elections is the worst in the history of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n