TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Coalition of Gubernatorial Candidates has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) to allow peace to reign during the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.
The coalition gave the warning in Port Harcourt, ahead of the March 9 governorship elections, stating that it does not want a repeat of the mayhem that occurred during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Also, the group said it had uncovered another plot by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude a particular political party (not APC) from participating in the March 9 polls so that it could be a legal issue.
Chairman of the coalition, Ihunwo Samuel, while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, berated APC for joining forces with the military to disrupt the recent elections leading to the death of many people in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of the state.
Samuel stated: “We further call on the APC, which is not on the ballot for next week Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State, to give peace a chance and repent from its devilish plot to destabilise, kill and destroy innocent lives and property in the state. There is nothing to gain from destroying the state and killing your own people for nothing.
“Regrettably, in spite of the hue and cry over their murderous activities in last week’s general election, the army is again, neck deep in the plot to unlawfully assist the APC to disrupt and prevent next week Saturday’s governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from holding in Rivers State.
“As governorship candidates of the various political parties, we are more than committed to the success of the governorship and Houses of Assembly elections in our dear Rivers State.
“Accordingly, we would neither tolerate, support nor accept any act of commission or omission, deliberate or otherwise, by INEC to either exclude any political party from the ballot papers and or deny the people of Rivers State their God-given right to peacefully, freely and fairly participate and elect their governor and state legislators on March 9, 2019.
“To this end, we call on INEC to remain absolutely neutral in the politics of Rivers State and ensure that none of the political parties is unlawful, deliberately or negligently excluded from the ballot papers for the next week Saturday’s governorship and Hoses of Assembly general elections,” Samuel stated.
The coalition, however, passed a vote of no confidence on the Nigerian Army and demanded its total exclusion from performing any election duties in Rivers.
“We do not want more of our people to be killed in cold blood as they did in last week Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections,” the coalition demanded.