Rivers’ re-run and security
Elections in Rivers State have always been violence-prone. In the last few months, many people have died in circumstances described as politically-motivated assassinations, causing fear and apprehension in the state.
In the build-up to the general election last year, Rivers State boiled over; it became a killing field as politicians struggled for votes by all means. It was the level of violence that attended the elections that warranted the cancellation of a number of elections in the state.
In the last two months, killings have been going on in various parts of the state. While the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has consistently pointed fingers at cultists, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the ruling party in the state must be blamed for the murders.
The APC said their members were being decimated, beheaded, burnt and their wives and children killed along.
The APC claimed that over 100 of their members died in the 2015 elections and that 32 have died now in the senseless killings that have occurred since January.
This weekend, Saturday, March 19, there will be stiff contention for 22 House of Assembly seats, 12 House of Representatives slots and three Senate seats.
Ahead of the exercise, APC and the PDP are both shouting about danger of guns. They are accusing each other of plotting to rig the elections. For instance, the other day, the PDP alerted to the alleged threat of using soldiers to hold it down for the APC to rig the elections.
Already, some people have started touting the notion of two armies in one state. The APC believes that most of the ex-militants and high number of cult groups stand solidly behind the PDP.
We recall rather painfully that the battle between the Jonathan/Wike and Amaechi camps raged so fiercely that almost everybody in politics and public life was forced to fight on either side. This created fierce hostilities in the state.
The thinking in the state is that the APC chiefs are being compensated with juicy federal appointments as ministers, NDDC, NIMASA, Amnesty, etc, and the PDP is effectively in control of power in the state. Naturally, the re-run on Saturday may be an attempt to dislodge the former Abuja politicians or an opportunity for them to rather consolidate. This is why the battle may be fierce because much is at stake.
This is why the security apparatuses in the state must ensure that the exercise must not be turned into an opportunity for politicians to turn the state into an abattoir, where human lives will be wasted on account of selfish ambitions.
Beyond the deployment of 6000 personnel and three commissioners by the police for the re-run, efforts must be made to ensure that the security agents are seen to discharge their duties before, during and after the exercise.
It would not bode well that after allegation and counter allegation of threat of violence, the re-run turns out to witness massive violence and blood-letting, it would have meant that the security agents were not proactive after all.