Felix Obuah, chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Rivers State chapter, has said that the scheduling of the local government election by Governor Rotimi Amaechi by May 23, 2015 which is already backed by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) is an invitation to anarchy.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Obuah, said the action of Amaechi to have asked RISIEC to conduct the local government election when he Amaechi would be leaving office was undemocratic, provocative and illegal and it was meant to cause anarchy in Rivers State. And that PDP would stop such action.
Obuah said that RISIEC should have as a matter of legal requirement given the political parties mandatory 90 days of notice, for relevant preparations.
“The so-called Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s announcement to that effect is rather a wishful thinking, because it is illegal, and he knows it. It is not only illegal, but retrogressive, provocative and a colossal waste of the state’s resources.”
“We will challenge the illegality in the court, and we will stop it there. Amaechi has always taken our people for a ride, ruling the state like his own private estate. He has no respect for the rule of law, but we will floor him at the floor of the court room.
“Aware of his ouster in the general elections, Amaechi is hell bent on setting the state into violent crisis, as his hand over package,” he said.
The chairman therefore, called on the other political parties, security agencies and entire Rivers State, to resist what he described as “Governor Amaechi’s invitation to anarchy.”
Meanwhile, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Davies Ikanya, in his response, said that all the political parties had long been informed by the RISIEC, and were in agreement with the Commission for the election, except PDP which he said was afraid of losing out.
Saying that the LGA election was long overdue, Ikpanya disclosed that the commission had long been making the announcement, maintaining it would have been conducted earlier, but for the general elections.
According to him, “the PDP is not popular in the state that is why they are jittery, if they were on ground as they claim, let them come and test their popularity.”
On their poor performance at the concluded general elections, he reacted, “We cleared the polls in the elections, but for the connivance of the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC), its Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Gesila Khan with PDP.
“The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) under Austin Ahiazu, has the capacity to conduct free, fair and credible election, and we urge all Rivers’ people and political parties to support the election,” Davies stated.
SABY ELEMBA
