Fresh Crisis In Wike’s Camp As Rivers Speaker Resigns…  Peterside Slams Embattled Gov Over Death Threat To INEC Officials

Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, has resigned. A new Speaker has been elected. He is Adams Dabotorudima, representing Okrika Constituency. This may be an indication that all is not well in the camp of the embattled governor of the state, Nyesom Wike.

The Speaker resigned few minutes after the passage of N307 billion for the 2016 Budget into law, a sitting which he presided over. Ibani, who represents Andoni Constituency in the House, was said to have resigned on personal ground. He was among the lawmakers the Rivers State Election Tribunal nullified their elections, eventhough he has appealed the judgment.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress(APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, during the April 11, 2015 election, Dr Dakuku Peterside, has condemned the death threat   to officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), by Governor Nyesom Wike.

The governor, while addressing his supporters in Port Harcourt   on Thursday, over the judgments of the Governorship Elections Tribunal and Appeal Court, Abuja, which nullified his election and ordered a re-run, threatened that any INEC official, coming to the state “to be funny”, should first, write his will before coming to conduct the election.

Addressing   party supporters, who trooped out at the Port Harcourt International Airport   to welcome him yesterday, after his victory at the Appeal Court, Dr Peterside said on the contrary, nobody would be killed during the re-run.

Peterside, who described the governor and his political appointee as a tenants in the Government House, said   the present federal government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, had the capacity to prevent rigging and electoral violence, and   to secure lives and properties of citizens during and after the election.

”Nobody will rig this election, our votes will count, APCF has a better and visionary candidate, with better character, they are illegal tenants in the Government House. “They should begin to pack their property, we are waiting for them at the Supreme Court, we shall obtain justice at the Supreme Court,” he emphasized.

He accused   the former Peoples Democratic Party-led federal government, under Dr  Goodluck Jonathan, of denying the people of Rivers State, the right to freely choose their leaders, and involvement in wide- spread violence that resulted in many deaths.

He , however, wondered why the governor   still went ahead to make fresh political appointments and swore in commissioners, two days after Appeal Court affirmed the judgment affirmed the judgment of the Elections Tribunal.

Peterside also commended his teaming supporters,   for their steadfastness and urged them to make available, their Permanent Voters Cards, for the re-run and future elections. He also claimed that 50 percent of PDP members, especially, serving in Wike’ government had indicated their interest to decamp to APC.

He said: “We have come to the end of the road, soon, the people of Rivers State will have government of the people, functional schools, not government that will bring students abroad back, this is a drowning government, it is out frustration that they said they would kill.”