Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday 6th of May 2019, accused the Nigerian army and other security agencies of being biased during the 2019 major elections.
The election process in Rivers state was seriously marred by violence, claiming the lives of an unconfirmed number of persons including Ferry Gberegbe, a lecturer, who was killed during the violence in Obiakpo local government of the state.
The house of representatives has launched a probe into the electoral violence, mandating a joint committee of the army, police, human right and justice to investigate the matter.
During the committee’s visit to Rivers state, Rimamnde Kwewum, its co-chairman, said the lawmakers were on a fact-finding mission on what transpired during the polls.
While addressing the committee earlier, Nyesom Wike, Rivers state governor, accused the security agencies of bias in the elections.
He alleged that the army had attempted to rig the election against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to him, “the army invaded the office of the electoral commission just to rig election. People were killed simply because they said they will not allow army to carry ballot papers.”
But responding on behalf of the Nigerian army, Felix Omoigue, a brigadier general, denied any wrongdoing on the part of the security agency.
He said soldiers acted only on professional grounds, adding that “the army has never been partisan in dealing with election matters.”
Omoigue also blamed politicians in Rivers for “creating unnecessary tensions” in the build-up to the election, adding that the army played a huge role in calming tension in the state.