Rivers of rage: Day Wike, Fubara loyalists battled, razed secretariats

DENNIS NAKU writes on the struggle for the political soul of Rivers between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged political godfather, now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and how it climaxed into a bloodbath and burning of local government secretariats of the state after the October 5 local government elections

The feud between the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, came to a climax last week during the local government elections in the state.

Before the elections, there were two court rulings for and against the conduct of the elections by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission led by Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.).

In the build-up to the election, the two main political parties, the All Progressives Congress faction in the state led by Tony Okocha and the Peoples Democratic Party under the leadership of Aaron Chukwuemeka had pulled out of the election citing a lack of due process.
The two parties loyal to the FCT minister alleged that the RSIEC did not invite them for a stakeholders meeting where the election and other issues were agreed.

As the elections approached, Okocha, in two media engagements, expressed confidence that the election would not hold after he filed a suit restraining INEC from releasing the 2023 voters register to RSIEC.

But the RSIEC Chairman, Enebeli, said he had since collected the state voters register from INEC, though the latter denied officially releasing the document to the state electoral umpire.
The ding-dong affair continued as the state governor and the RSIEC chairman insisted that the election must go on as planned.

Critical to the issue was who the leader of the PDP was in the state between Fubara and Wike, especially as the latter exercised a greater control of the party both at the state and national levels.

The recent congress of the PDP in the state was held on August 1, 2024, in Port Harcourt where Wike’s men emerged as the state executive bore this out.

Fubara had before now prepared his loyalists vying for the local government elections to join the Action Peoples Party through which he would consolidate his stay in office with the local government structure after the elections, a strategy which his political traducers foresaw and try hard to thwart.

It was therefore not surprising that the LG election of October 5 was marred by violence.

In the wee hours of the Election Day, there were twin explosions: one at the APC secretariat along Aba Road in Port Harcourt controlled by Okocha, and the second at the Ohio/Akpor LG secretariat where Chinioke Ihunwo, an ally of Fubara, later emerged winner of the poll seats.

As the election began, pockets of trouble were observed here and there but the election was largely peaceful.
Chaos during election

The police in a statement on the twin blasts said the first explosion was reported at the APC secretariat on Aba Road at approximately 3am.

“A security guard reported hearing a loud bang and, upon investigation, observed three black Toyota Hilux vans speeding away from the scene.

“The explosion caused significant damage, destroying the gate and shattering the windows of the building. Additionally, the security building was set ablaze,” the police said.

Explaining further what happened about 30 minutes after the first incident, the police said the second explosion occurred at the Obio/Akpor council secretariat.

“Eyewitnesses reported seeing a black Toyota Hilux van and a white Toyota Sienna minivan drive past the secretariat.

“The occupants of these vehicles allegedly threw an object suspected to be a stick of dynamite, which shattered the roof and caused damage to the generator house of the complex.
“An improvised explosive device was recovered at the APC secretariat, and the team has identified the use of incendiary materials in the arson of the security building,” the statement added.

Also, RSIEC officials and voters ran for their lives when uniformed men arrived at the Elekahia Primary School in the Port Harcourt City local government area, shot teargas and seized election materials.

About 21 Hilux patrol vans with heavily armed men were spotted driving into the venue from Elekahia Road and immediately fired several tear gas, causing pandemonium.

RSIEC officials, who had set up their stand to begin accreditation in Ward 19, which has 10 units, scampered for safety and the operatives chased them out of the ward.

The policemen, some of whom were masked, also asked the officials to remove their vests and hand them over to them, as they ensured that they carted away all election materials and fired more tear gas.

The operatives also shot tear gas canisters directly into the crowd of voters who fled the scene of the pandemonium.

Many RSIEC officials, including voters and residents of the community, ran into two streets in Elekahia community, creating tension in the area, as several police patrol vans sped out of the area with many election materials.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was not aware of the incident.
“I’m not aware. You are just telling me now,” she stated tersely.

But the violence deteriorated when the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the Rivers State Police Command to unseal the 23 LG secretariats 24 hours after Fubara swore in the elected council chairman.

Violence at LGs

On Monday, October 7, 2024, the elected chairmen attempted to enter the reopened secretariats, which were taken over by the police for about three months following the initial violence that marred the tenure extension of the former LG chairmen loyal to the FCT minister. The new chairmen wanted to swear in their vice chairmen and councillors; but they met stiff resistance.

The worst hit LGA was Ikwerre, where youths, alleged to be supporters of the FCT minister launched an attack with dynamite, which destroyed the newly built council headquarters in Isiokpo, the headquarters of the council and other facilities therein. The office of the Ikwerre LG chairman was razed with property destroyed.

The same occurred at Nchia-Ogale, where the Eleme LG headquarters was located. Early that Monday morning, youths opposed to the outcome of the election invaded the secretariat threw dynamite into the council premises and fled.
The elected LG chairman, Brian Gokpa, accused supporters of the FCT minister of masterminding the attack but said the incident would not affect the discharge of his constitutional duties to the people of the area.

Gokpa stated, “Reaching here this morning we saw that the secretariat was being burnt down by hoodlums, who don’t mean well for Eleme people. This act was carried out around 8 to 8am.

“It was looted first before it was set ablaze. If you go round now you won’t find anything, the furniture, fridge, air conditioners, everything in the offices was looted, we are going to start from scratch. It is a very difficult situation. However, since we are ready for leadership we will ensure that we start on a new note.”

In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, a similar protest took place as some youths blocked the entrance of the council headquarters in an attempt to stop the new local government chairman from entering the premises of the secretariat.

One of the protesters cited the amendment of the Local Government Law by the Martin Amaewhule-led state House of Assembly, which extended the tenure of the former LG chairman by six months due to the alleged failure of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to conduct the council elections then.

Online videos later emerged showing some youths using sticks to destroy plastic chairs outside the secretariat even as they afterwards forced their way into the premises after unlocking the gate of the council.”

In Ahoada East LGA, while the chairman and his councillors tried to access the secretariat, ear-splitting gunshots rent the air, as violent protest erupted in front of the council. A detachment of policemen was deployed to quell the situation, which later snowballed.
While the policemen were forced to fire several gunshots into the air to disperse the crowd, soldiers arrived at the scene, took over the secretariat and dispersed the protesters before calm was restored.

In the melee, a relative of the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Edison Ehie, was shot dead, though it could not be ascertained which bullet hit him.

The state Secretary of the Inter-State Party Advisory Council, Benjamin Ogbobula, condemned the burning of the council secretariats even as he confirmed the death of a relative of Fubara’s Chief of Staff during the attack on the Ahoada East secretariat.

In Khana LGA, a man said to be the father of one of the newly elected councillors was hit by a bullet fired by some hoodlums who shot sporadically near the rectors’ lodge where the swearing-in of the councillors was about to take place in Bori, the council headquarters.

At the Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariats, scores of youths were spotted wielding machetes, bottles and sticks around the vicinity as a faction later gained dominance.

The youths later clashed at the council secretariat while gunshots were heard near the council shortly after the Chairman of the local government, Chijioke Ihunwo, inaugurated the newly inaugurated councillors.

In Oyigbo LGA, the situation was different as the elected LG chairman mobilised vigilantes and hunters to guard the council secretariats which were indeed workers and kept the assailants at bay.
Fubara, police begin probe

Fubara has set up a seven-member judicial panel of inquiry which has one month to submit its report on the killings and arson. The commission has Justice Ibiwengi Minakiri as chairman; Mrs Inyingi Brown, as the secretary; and Uzor Ikenga as the counsel.

The governor said the recent attacks and burning of LG councils’ secretariats were reminiscent of what was experienced in 2014, months before the general elections of 2015 when courts were set ablaze, residences bombed and people killed, leading to the closure of courts in Rivers State.

Fubara said, “So, I have decided to take this action to find out the immediate and remote causes of this arson, most importantly, no matter the personalities involved, we must bring them to book.

“So, this assignment is very important. It is an assignment that, if it is not done rightly, would allow the enemies of this state to continue.”

Similarly, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police in the State, Mohammed Mustapha set up a high-powered investigation team led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, even as he visited the three LGAs set ablaze.

He stated, “We are out this morning on a confidence-building patrol to assure the public of their safety as part of the proactive measures we intend to put in place to ensure security in Rivers State.
“We are on the spot assessment of the situation on the ground so far and what has happened to these areas.  We are taking action; we have embarked on a full-scale investigation.”