Fear rules Rivers

PORT HARCOURT: Residents of Rivers state will today decide who becomes governor of the state for another four years.
Fear has gripped the electorate following killings and many cases of political violence. It is so bad that many may not come out today to vote.
The All Progressive Congress,   APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have   traded blames over these killings. Rivers State, arguably, remains the most volatile in these elections.

No state has been this notorious.
Governorship candidate of the APC, Dr Dakuku Peterside has alleged that over fifty members of the party were murdered in politically related circumstances.

Wike and Peterside

It would be recalled that on Good Friday this   year, barely ten days ago, a chieftain of the APC,   Chief Christopher Adube, his two children and three others were shot dead at his house in Obrikom community,   Ogba Egbema Ndoni local government area.   His son Henry Adube told news men that his father was murdered by unknown political assailants because he was a member of the APC.

There have also been related cult killings in the state. No fewer than fifty persons have been   shot dead in   different parts of state within the last two months in the cult war which some residents believed was triggered by the political class in the state.

According to Fred Aham, a resident, politicians recruited cult groups to harass and assassinate their political opponents.
Campaigns by the two major political parties   witnessed ugly incidents. In Okrika, a rally of the APC was disrupted with heavy gunfire and explosives. A Policeman lost his life while   four others sustained bullet injuries.

Governorship candidate of the APC, Dr Dakuku Peterside  told the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, led by Prof Chidi Odinakalu   when he visited the state recently   on a   fact finding mission that over fifty members of his party had been killed under   political related violence.

PDP has also been accusing the APC of allegedly killing its members and sponsoring acts of violence.

According to the party,   the APC allegedly sponsored   thugs to shoot at its governorship campaign rally   in Degema local government area , killing a member of the party on the spot with several others sustaining injuries.

Governorship candidate of the PDP, Barr Wike also told the Human rights body that over fourty members of the party had been murdered for being members of the PDP.

There is tension in the air as voters come out to exercise their franchise today. There is fear that there have been   proliferation of illegal fire arms all over the state largely for this election.

The Rivers state government , security agencies and various party leaders have tried to douse this   tension by urging voters to come out to vote.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Hosea Karma said adequate security arrangement had been put in place to guarantee security of lives and properties of all voters and residents of the state today and   after the exercise.

He also got the two governorship candidates,   Wike and.Dakuku to sign a fresh peace accord on Wednesday,   promising to ensure their supporters were law abiding during and after the elections.

Vigilance is the word as Rivers people turn out for the guber and House of Assembly elections today.