• There’s arms build-up –APC
From Tony John, Port Harcourt, Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti and Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has raised the alarm that life of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike is under threat.
Fayose said while presenting a budget estimate of N93.4 billion to the state House of Assembly in Ado-Ekiti, that security reports reaching him showed that Wike would be placed on compulsory house arrest tomorrow.
“We have gathered that there is a plan by the APC-led administration to place Governor Wike on house arrest on Thursday night and early morning of Friday. Any attempt by him to resist it may cost him his life. We are raising this alarm now because that is what we have gathered. So, if anything happens to him, we should know who to hold responsible,” he said.
Meanwhile, All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged arms build-up by Governor Wike-led administration ahead of the December 10 re-run elections in River State.
The party said allegations by Rivers government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that Wike’s security aides have been withdrawn and an assassination threat on the governor were meant to shift attention from the reports of an arms build-up and other sinister plots the Wike-led PDP administration was planning to execute on election day.
“Nobody is after Wike. The governor and the PDP’s diversionary and false alarm is hinged on the reality that they will lose the legislative re-run elections once security is tightened in the state.
“The President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration has successively demonstrated the will to ensure that all elections are free, transparent and credible.
“Saturday’s legislative rerun elections in Rivers will not be different. The administration does not subscribe to such evil machinations where government institutions are used to achieve political ends.
“APC hereby call on security agencies to investigate the report of arms build-up and be on alert over the security situation in Rivers State under Wike’s watch and by extension, the PDP in the lead-up to the elections.
“Wike’s criminal gangs and PDP thugs must not be allowed to steal the votes of the Rivers electorate on Saturday,” the APC said.
Regardless, the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said it would not take it lightly if harm is inflicted on any corps member participating in the Saturday national and state legislative rerun elections in the state.
Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Suleiman Kazaure, stated this yesterday, while sensitising corps members that volunteered to partake in the polls, on security and safety, before, during and after the elections.
Kazaure, who harped on the safety of the corps members on national assignment, said step will be taken to ensure their safety.
The NYSC boss, who spoke through the Director, Corps Welfare and Health Services, Mrs. Abosede Okaku, urged security agencies to ensure the safety of the corps members participating in the rerun elections.
He warned the corps members to shun every form of electoral malpractice and secure their lives first before any other thing, “if you are in obvious danger.”
Kazaure assured them of their security, warning that the government would not take it lightly with anyone who compromised the security of the corps members.
However, representatives of various security agencies at the sensitisation programme, assured of their preparedness to secure all participants in the exercise, including the corps members.
Meanwhile, the state Coordinator on NYSC, Mrs. Ngozi Nwatarali urged corps members to take issues raised on the conduct of election seriously.