Unidentified Persons Bomb Rivers State INEC Office
The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bori-Ogoni, Khana Local Government in Rivers State, South-southern Nigeria was bombed on Friday, the Nation is reporting.
The INEC office was bombed in the early hours of Friday by yet-to-be identified persons.
The Rivers Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), disclosed that an investigation into the incident had been ordered.
The bombing of the office comes barely a week before the rerun of the legislative election in the state.
Ekine Nkrokeokia, the secretary of the council, blamed the incident on desperate politicians.
The elected councilors of the local government also described the bombing as unfortunate, condemn-able, wicked and ungodly. They said desperate politicians trying to create unnecessary tension and crisis in the state are behind the attack so as to stop the election of popular candidates.
The state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, accused the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) as being behind the bombing because they are not prepared for the election and are intent on forcing INEC to postpone it.
“It is another deliberate action by the APC to create a state of insecurity, not only in Khana LGA and the Ogoni area, but in Rivers State as a whole, apparently to justify their demand for the postponement of the election, having realised that its candidates in the election from the area will not succeed in the poll.”
But, the state Chairman of APC, Chief Davies Ikanya, denied that his party has anything to do with the bombing, affirming instead, that his party was prepared for the election.
Interestingly, Governor Nyesom Wike, while addressing the party’s supporters on Thursday at the Rivers East senatorial campaign rally at Okehi, Etche LGA of the state, declared that anyone posted to Rivers State, with the aim of rigging the elections, should inform his family the location of his hidden wealth, stating that the person would face the treatment reserved for armed robbers.
He accused the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, of concluding plans to postpone the rerun, allegedly in deference to the fear of defeat expressed by the leadership of Rivers APC.
Rivers APC’s Publicity Secretary, yesterday in Port Harcourt, asked the governor to stop threatening everyone.
“The callous and mindless mudslinging by Wike is true-to-type, especially when he wants to stir the water muddy, in order to create a smokescreen to perpetrate his evil machinations. The potpourri of blackmail, threats and empty bravado are all part of his curious style of politics.”
Rivers State is a hotbed for political violence. Several people have either been killed, kidnapped or injured during previous elections in the state.
ENJOY FREE CONTENTS FROM US
IN YOUR EMAIL
Breaking News, Events, Music & More
