With barely three days to the 2015 presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State and its governorship candidate, Chief Nyesome Wike, have been accused of taking political intolerance to a new level by sponsoring attacks on non-indigenes in the state with a view to scaring them back to their places of origin so as to ensure that they do not vote in the March 28 poll.

Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said he was alerted about the disturbing development by Chief Uchenna Okoloba, the Coordinator of the Non-Indigenes Forum of Rivers APC.

“Reports reaching me have it that our people are being attacked and prevailed upon to go back to their States of origin before 28th March or face the music. These attacks on our non-indigene members are taking place in various parts of the State. Leaders of our Non-Indigenes Political Forum (NIPF) have been listed to be arrested or killed if they fail to leave the State,” Ikanya said.

He described the alleged harassment as the latest in a series of strategies being employed by Wike and PDP to disenfranchise APC members and supporters in a desperate bid to prevent the imminent overwhelming defeat of PDP and its candidates in the March 28 and April 11 elections.

“Needless to say, this act of intimidation will not save Wike and PDP as the time has come for the people of Rivers State, including the non-indigenes, to pay them back in their own coins. It is a fact that Chief Wike callously closed down the businesses of non-indigenes during his tyrannical rein as the Executive Chairman of Obio-Akporr Local Government, when he ensured that they were taxed out of business, thus earning him the nickname, TERROR OF NON-INDIGENES,” Ikanya said.

According to him, “Typical example of these threats was demonstrated when around 1:00 a.m. last Saturday about 25 vehicles full of security agencies and members of the Grassroot Development Initiative (GDI), the armed wing of Chief Wike’s Campaign Team, stormed the Onne-Ebubu axis of the East West road yam zone in Eleme LGA to vandalise about ten shops belonging to the Northerners and took away their 1.8 million Naira the sales they made that very day. Forty eight (48) of them were arrested and detained without any charge. They were released on Tuesday from the State CID and warned to leave the state before 28th March, 2015.

“The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dan Bature, acknowledged their arrest but denied of any threat to their lives. Some of these Northerners were born in Rivers State and have being doing their legitimate businesses according to the laws of the state. Their only crime is that they are showing sympathy to the plight and vision of APC in Rivers State. This particular attack was engineered by Hon. Olaka Worgu, the Senatorial Candidate of PDP in Rivers South-East who is afraid that with these Northerners around he is bound to fail in the March 28th polls.”

Dr. Ikanya advised the non-indigenes not to be intimidated into leaving Rivers State as they are equal stakeholders in the state as bonafide citizens of Nigeria. He also advised them to keep their promise of not voting for President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Wike and other PDP candidates as they do not deserve their votes.

“We urge Rivers State people, including the non-indigenes, not to waste their votes on President Jonathan as many Nigerians have rejected him and any vote cast on his behalf is a wasted vote. Also, voting for Chief Wike is voting for doom and insecurity as his administration will dedicate our State to the worship of the Devil. So we urge the people of Rivers State to shine their eyes and stand up against the evil that Chief Wike and PDP stand for,” Dr. Ikanya counseled.

He said that Wike and PDP should know the consequences of maltreating and harassing the non-indigenes as there are Rivers State indigenes residing in other states of the federation.

•Photo shows Wike.

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