The candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, says no leader of the party made any sort of inciting statement during the just concluded rerun election in the state.
Mr Peterside, who is the current Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA),made the statement on Wednesday while giving his opinion on the violence perpetrated during parliamentary polls in the southern Nigeria oil-rich state.
“I challenge anybody to bring any evidence to show that any leader of the APC in Rivers State asked the people to come out and perpetrate violence, ask people to kill, ask people to write their will.
“No leader of the APC (All Progressives Congress) did that before, during and after the elections,” he claimed while giving his opinion on Sunrise Daily.
Mr Peterside alleged that the violence that took place during the elections was caused by Rivers State Governor, stressing that he had earlier raised alarm and nothing was done.
“I have said it consistently (and nobody has challenged me) that all of these that happened in Rivers should be placed squarely on the feet of Nyesom Wike.
“He provided incentive, he provided (if I use an agricultural analogy) a manure for the violence we are witnessing in Rivers State and indeed, if nothing is done urgently, this psycho will continue and it will hurt everybody,” he insisted.
In a swift response, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Felix Obuah, refuted the claims, stressing that Governor Wike did his best to uphold peace during the exercise.
“The Governor of Rivers State is a God sent messiah to the people of Rivers State (and) he has done everything possible to bring peace (and) he has supported the law enforcement agents,” he said.
Mr Obuah maintained that the disruption of the polls was planned by the Minister of Transportation, Mr hibuike Amachi, and the APC members in the state.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), Amaechi and his cohort and followers did said that the election that brought Wike was manhandle by the former president (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) who provided all sorts of security that intimidated APC,” the PDP chairman said while describing the allegation as an irony.
“We want to put on record that every problem that has been happening in recent time in Rivers State is a calculated attempt by Amaechi, Dakuku, (and) Ikanya (the APC Chairman in Rivers State),” he said, stressing that the state is peaceful and the residents are going about their normal business.
