Home HOME OPINION; Democracy: Raising the Red Flag on Ojukaye, by Simeon Nwakaudu

OPINION; Democracy: Raising the Red Flag on Ojukaye, by Simeon Nwakaudu

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Ojukaye-Flag-Amachree

 

 

The APC Federal Government is a tragedy  of frightening dimensions.  Through deliberate efforts of a clueless President, the institutions of democracy built over 16years are being destroyed on a daily basis.

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Never in the history of Nigeria had any administration damaged the structure of our security forces like the Buhari administration.  People are now allocated soldiers, policemen, naval personnel and airmen for obvious criminal activities.

 

We are living in perilous times. When they are caught on video  raping the democratic process, nothing is done to address the anomaly.

 

When the Minister of Transportation, an associate of President Muhammadu Buhari imposed Ojukaye Flag Amachree on a faction of Rivers APC without due process of legally conducted congresses, it was obvious that the day of criminality has come.

 

The Minister with the aid of the Nigerian Police  invaded the Rivers State High Court Complex with a view to stopping the judicial pronouncement on the illegality he planned against his party.

 

 

Since that ill-fated emergence of factions in Rivers APC, Ojukaye Flag Amachree has become an instrument of political tension and unnecessary violence. Ojukaye viciously attacked the Factional APC Secretariat loyal to Senator Magnus Abe at Waterlines. That faction retaliated.  The Police did nothing  about these tragic events.

 

On Saturday, 18th August, 2018, Ojukaye Flag Amachree was emboldened by the hundreds of SARs Personnel and Inspector General of Police Squad allocated to him to desecrate the foundation of democracy.

 

He marched through the 142 Polling Stations of Port Harcourt State Constituency Three snatching INEC Result Sheets, Card Readers and Ballot Boxes. This was done in public glare. He was captured on video. Mind you, Ojukaye is from another constituency.

 

 

Following national and international condemnation of Ojukaye’s illegal disruption of the electoral process, Ojukaye Flag Amachree has come up with infantile stories to justify his criminal act against the people of Port Harcourt State Constituency Three.

 

Cornered by his illegal acts, Ojukaye Flag Amachree threw up an infantile allegation that Governor Wike offered him N200million to allow PDP win the election. According to the Factional Chairman of the Rivers APC, this offer was made whilst he was snatching electoral materials.

 

 

In the desperation to justify his criminal disruption of election, Ojukaye forgot that he is of a different political party and on the field at the time he claimed an offer was made to him. This is as illogical as his defence of criminality.  He and SARs had already unleashed mayhem on the constituency.  Of what use would it be to stop him?

 

Moreover, Ojukaye was not a candidate in the election. Nobody would have asked a by-stander to step down. To serve what purpose?

 

Recall that Governor Wike who was in possession of credible intelligence alerted the country of the plot by failed politicians like Ojukaye to unleash violence on the constituency.

 

In any case, Ojukaye Flag Amachree has no electoral value.  He is from  Asari-Toru Local Government Area.  That LGA has two state constituencies and shares a federal constituency with Akuku-Toru Local Government Area.  These constituencies were nullified by the Court of Appeal. Rerun elections held in 2016 and Ojukaye Flag Amachree participated.

 

He was availed hundreds of security details  to cart away electoral materials, yet the PDP candidates won the two seats of Asari-Toru Local Government Area and Hon Boma Goodhead  won the Asari-Toru/Akuku-Toru Federal Constituency seat.

 

These rerun elections held under the failed APC Federal Government. Ojukaye Flag Amachree had the full complement of Federal Might, yet failed woefully.

 

As he denied the people of Port Harcourt State Constituency Three, the right to vote their preferred leaders  Ojukaye has bench warrant hanging over his head on the murder charges preferred against him by the state.

 

 

The charges captured in suit number, PMC/750c/2016, read in parts, “That you, Ojukaye Flag Amachree ‘m’ with others now at large on the 11th day of April, 2016 at Buguma, in the Port Harcourt Magisterial District did conspire amongst yourselves to commit a felony to wit: murder and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 (a) of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, vol. II, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999.

 

 

“That you, Ojukaye Flag Amachree ‘m’ with others now at large at the above mentioned date, place and in the aforementioned Magistrate District did shoot and killed one Smart Soberekon ‘m’ and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. II, Laws of Rivers State of Nigerian 1999.”

 

 

The Police is aware of this matter. The Presidency is aware. The APC is aware. The Minister of Transportation is aware. These top government officials have assisted Ojukaye to undermine the justice system so far.

 

To further show disrespect to the rule of law, the Inspector General of Police directed by the court to produce Ojukaye Flag Amachree for trial is the one shielding him via hundreds of Policemen, so he can circumvent the electoral process like he did in Port Harcourt Constituency Three.

 

The APC is a lawless party. A party that basks in illegality. The trade mark of the APC is refusal to obey court orders from the Federal to APC controlled states.

 

The release of Ojukaye into the society represents the heightening level of impunity under the failed APC Federal Government that the United States Government has complained about.

 

 

David Young, acting US ambassador to Nigeria, on Sunday during a fellowship with church leaders in Jos, Plateau state said the “culture of impunity” is behind the killings and other acts of injustice in the country.

 

He said: ” We want to affirm the sanctity of human lives and anytime a person dies, it is a tragic loss, be that person a Christian, Muslim, Berom, farmer or herder.A lot of people are doing good things and working hard. But it needs to be even more because it is clear that there is a climate of impunity. When people are committing serious crimes, they get away with it, without being brought to justice.”

 

Unless the judicial system is allowed to dispense justice according to the law, we will continue to witness acts of brazen lawlessness like Ojukaye Flag Amachree displayed on Saturday, 18th August, 2018.

 

This brings me to the issue of reportage of that horrible election.  A Port Harcourt Based Radio Station notorious for irresponsible broadcast of political news, took up the matter in defence of Ojukaye.  The Nigerian Info once again displayed reckless partisanship and pedestrian understanding of the issues.

 

To the Nigerian Info, Port Harcourt, it is all about conferring advantage on their political party, the APC. This is way beyond that. We are talking about the disenfranchisement  of constituents because a fellow used security agencies to overrun the area.

 

Instead, the Nigerian Info spent airtime struggling to malign the Rivers State Governor over an infantile allegation by Ojukaye Flag Amachree that he was offered  N200million to allow PDP win.  On that ill-mannered programme, the anchor obviously attacked those who stated that the allegation was baseless. The Nigerian Info has a penchant for such unethical broadcast as long as they favoured APC.

 

I personally drew the attention of the station manager, expectedly she never responded. That a radio station operates within the precincts of a responsible State Government is not a license to dwell on broadcast irresponsibility.  Just last sunday, APC Oyo State Government demolished a radio station on the ground of media intolerance.  It was same story in Nasarawa State.

 

The least that Nigeria Info Port Harcourt should do is to be responsible in her operations.  It is on record that the station is Pro-APC, but there should be atoms of responsibility in her broadcast.

 

The core issue I want to formulate in this piece is that the society must raise the red flag on Ojukaye Flag Amachree.  He is a present danger to democracy, social stability and sustenance of rule of law.

 

His reckless use of security agencies to disrupt election should serve as a reminder to the authorities to ensure that Ojukaye Flag Amachree faces his trial .  Aside the failure of the people of the constituency to choose their representative, was the billions that INEC expended in the Bye-Election.  Ojukaye Flag Amachree sabotaged the economy of the nation.

 

Let the court decide the fate of Ojukaye Flag Amachree.  Otherwise, APC leaders will continue to blackmail him into acting recklessly.  They will continue to threaten to withdraw his illegal security details. To appease them, Ojukaye Flag Amachree will continue to act illegally.  There should be an end to this circus of puppeteers.

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