At least five ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stationed in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, have complained about poor treatment by the commission, including the non-payment of required allowances and inadequate welfare planning for their security and personal well-being during the ongoing presidential and parliamentary elections.
Speaking to Peoples Gazette at the Obio/Akpor local government collation center, a presiding officer who chose not to disclose his name said he had not received his feeding allowances from Friday up until this morning.
He accused his Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) of cornering the funds for himself and his colleagues.
“Our own feeding money that they were supposed to give us, since on Friday nothing, Saturday nothing. Till this Sunday morning, our SPO said she is not owing us anything,” he said.
He added that INEC authorities allowed them to transport sensitive election materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and result sheets without any form of protection, leaving them vulnerable to thugs who stopped and harassed them.
His statement aligned with that of another officer who simply identified herself as Grace.
“We have been here for the past three days, no food, no water. They didn’t give us anything,” she said.
“We have serious issues with payment.”
“We did not have money for transport, we have been spending our own money,” she added.
Another presiding officer, Henrietta, said she and her colleagues were held hostage for more than three hours by “area boys” who assaulted several of them repeatedly.
“The bus took us to Rumeme community primary school and we were held hostage in that place for more than three hours.
We tried calling our SPO, INEC officials, none of them answered us,” she said. “In fact, they molested so many of us yesterday evening,” she added.
Labour Party’s (LP’s) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, have met behind closed-doors with Rivers State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart, Nyesom Wike.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, arrived the Government House in Port Harcourt yesterday and was received by Wike.
Both of them were said to have gone into the office of the Rivers State governor where they discussed briefly.
They came out after the discussion but refused to comment on any issue as Wike bade his visitor goodbye.
There were indications that their discussions centred on the development in the PDP and the unfair treatment the party meted out to Wike during the presidential primaries.
It was learnt that the process that led to the choice of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was part of the discussion.
Obi was also said to have solicited Wike’s support for his presidential ambition ahead of the 2023 general election.
It was gathered that Mohammed, who was among PDP’s presidential aspirants, came shortly after Obi departed the Government House.
Like in Obi’s case, Wike reportedly ushered in Mohammed to his private office, where only two of them held secret discussions.
Sources said Mohammed, who refused to speak on the motive behind his visit, came out of the meeting and hurried into his vehicle.
But it was learnt that Mohammed’s visit was on the heels of the controversies that trailed the process that led to the selection of Atiku’s running mate.
The Bauchi governor’s visit was said to be part of the fence-mending efforts to placate Wike to enable the party address his grievances.
Though M9ohammed is a known friend of Wike, it could not be ascertain whether he came on his own accord or he was sent by Atiku.
Also, the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) yesterday warned former Vice President Atiku Abukakar that ex-Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu was damaging the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of winning the 2023 presidential election by his “malicious attitude” towards Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.
It described as “ungraceful cum uncomplimentary” Aliyu’s view in a TV interview on Tuesday that the Rivers governor lacks the capacity, character and temperament to be Atiku’s running mate.
The group, in a statement by its Leader, Livingstone Wechie, said: “The assertions by the former governor of Niger State raise a lot of concern, even if it fails the sensitivity test completely. As a matter of fact, his view of Nyesom Wike – an illustrious and highly celebrated Ikwerre son – is an affront not only to his ethnicity and region but the Nigerian state particularly in the face of the current political and economic disputations and contradictions bedevilling the Nigerian State today.”
It said Aliyu acted “far below dignity” and un-statesman-like, adding that his comments appeared to be aimed at fuelling a crisis and fanning the embers of avoidable conflict within the ranks of the PDP “at a time the party should be mending walls and begging for peace after a fierce and sharp contest which shook the political atmosphere almost to a negative trajectory”.
According to the group, the former governor’s impact and role in the development of the PDP “is very scanty and non-existent”.
SNPA noted that Aliyu’s claim that Wike hijacked the PDP and chased members away, was “very timid”.
It stressed that such utterances “are not only aimed at further dividing the party, but putting it at the risk of losing the undeniable cult followership and votes from the over 230 local government areas that voted Nyesom Wike at the presidential primaries. This garrulous and flippant move is possibly to the detriment of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2023, if not arrested now”.
The office of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution company, PHED in Ogbumnabali, Port Harcourt, Rivers State was on Thursday locked by the landlord over unpaid rent.
A social media user, Stephen Momoh shared photos of the closure. In one of the images, the landlord is seen sitting in front of the red padlocked door.
Another photo showed a PHED official attending to PHED customers in a car.
When The Punch contacted PHED spokesperson, Chioma Aninwe, she said a communication gap led to the incident.
A man identified as Jackson Green has taken to social media to reveal how he had a swell time after entering a keke-bus in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Jackson said he entered the keke only to see that there was provision for WiFi for passengers to use throughout the duration of their trip.
The young lad who described his time in the keke bus as the best 10 minutes of his ride in Port Harcourt, shared photo of the sign on the vehicle notifying passengers of the availability of free data network.
HAD THE BEST 10 MINUTES OF MY RIDE IN PORT HARCOURT TODAY WITH THIS KEKE-BUS MAN INNOVATION,” Jackson captioned his post.
On the cardboard sign in the bus was the inscription;
”ENJOY FREE WIFI IN THIS BUS AS WE RIDE.
NAME: STAINLESS NET. FOR PASSWORD, ASK DRIVER”
Netizens were amazed and impressed as some residents of Port Harcourt asked to know they could locate the driver and his keke-bus.
See his post:
HAD THE BEST 10 MINUTES OF MY RIDE IN PORT HARCOURT TODAY WITH THIS KEKE-BUS MAN INNOVATION. 😊 pic.twitter.com/kRCIqYeeoo
Justice A.T Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced Gerald Uwuoma (a.k.a, Charlie Clifford Jimmy) and Promise Amadi, a serial fraudster, to two years in prison on separate charges that border on impersonation and internet fraud contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) (iv)of the same Act.
Both defendants were convicted on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 after pleading “guilty” to the charges preferred against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The one-count charge against Uwuoma reads: “That you Gerald Uwuoma (a.k.a Charlie Clifford Jimmy) sometimes in 2020 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fraudulently impersonate one Charlie Clifford Jimmy, a computer Engineer attached to the United States of America Army with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) (IV) of the same Act”.
In view of Uwuoma’s “guilty” plea, prosecuting counsel, F.O. Amama urged the Court to convict and sentence him accordingly. Defence counsel, F.A. Bigha did not oppose the prayer of the prosecution.
Justice Mohammed convicted and sentenced Uwuoma to two years imprisonment, with an option of fine of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 000.00). He also ordered that the devices ( One White Samsung A50 with the sim card, two USB flash drive, One black power bank, One HP Elite AH Colour laptop) used in committing the offence be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Uwuoma’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when the EFCC acted on some verified intelligence linking him with some internet- related fraudulent activities. He was arrested at Emenike Estate, New Owerri, Imo State and prosecuted accordingly.
For Amadi, one of the two counts on which he was convicted, reads: “That you Promise Amadi (a.k.a Sebastian Ubierna ) on or about March 2020 to February, 2021 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fraudulently impersonate one Sebastian Ubierna with the intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (I) of the Cybercrimes ( Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act 2015 and punishable under section 22 (2) (IV) of the same Act”.
Following his guilty plea, Justice Mohammed found Amadi guilty, convicted and sentenced him to one year imprisonment on count 1 and 2 respectively, with an option of fine of Two Hundred Thousand Naira only (N200, 000.00). The sentences run concurrently.
The judge ordered that the Samsung Galaxy S8+ recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government, sold and the proceeds paid into TSA account of the government.
Amadi was arrested after being linked with impersonation of an American: Hector. A. Ramirez in several internet- related dealings. Investigation showed that he severally posed as an entrepreneur, real estate sales expert and financial adviser at World Trade Centre in the United States of America.
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