In the aftermath of the recent local government election in Rivers State, political analyst and former Special Adviser to ex-Governor Nyesom Wike, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, has described the outcome as a triumph over the long-standing influence of political godfatherism.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Inko-Tariah emphasised that the people of Rivers State have sent a clear message which underscored their tiredness of political interference and manipulation by so-called political godfathers.
“We have put an end to the issue of political monstrosity. This is a clear case of the venom of a viper can do nothing to the back of a tortoise. It is not all about being licentious and braggadocious. Action speaks louder than words” he remarked,
He said the outcome should serve as a warning to future political godfathers that Nigerians are fed up with their dominance.
“This will serve as a lesson to future political Godfathers, that Nigerians are sick and tired of Godfatherism in this country”
Inko-Tariah recounted statements made by former Governor Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), noting the irony in Wike’s previous position on godfatherism.
“The FCT minister was the same person when he was a sitting minister, who said that what happened in Lagos state in the case of Ambode will never happen in Rivers State. I have the tape here. We are talking about the issue of Godfatherism. He said it was never going to happen in Rivers State and that he is one man that will never impose a governor or dictate to his successor what to do, that once he is out, he will go and rest.” Inko-Tariah said.
However, he expressed disappointment that Wike, who once condemned godfatherism, now appears to be attempting to impose it in Rivers State, saying “I am a little bit surprised that the same person who gave all these warnings and said all these facts, is the same person who wants to impose the issue of Godfatherism in Rivers State.”
One of the notable challenges in the lead-up to the election was a court order instructing the police not to provide security during the polls. According to Inko-Tariah, the motive behind the order was to derail the entire election process. He explained that without police presence, it was expected that chaos would have ensued, leading to the cancellation of the local government allocations, which would have in turn created disorder.
Inko-Tariah criticised the court’s actions, arguing that no legal body has the right to halt an election according to Nigeria’s Electoral Act.
“Rivers people opted for Democracy and that is one reason the governor of Rivers is having the support he is having, because we believe in Democracy and so when we had that court order, instructing the police not to provide services during the elections, we laughed. As reckless as it is, it is obvious that the judge was a conflicted fellow, otherwise, we all know that a court cannot stop an election if we go by the electoral act.
“The whole essence was to frustrate the whole LG election process so that at the end of October, the time given by the supreme court in October 30 or 31, the state will no longer be eligible to have LG allocations and that will cumulate in crisis in the local governments which will lead to disorder in the state. That was the whole plan. But we thank God that it was crisis free.”
He also expressed disappointment in the Inspector General of Police for complying with the court’s directive, commending the people of Rivers State for conducting themselves in a civil manner during the election despite the challenges.
“The people of Rivers state conducted themselves in a very civilised manner and this is a shame to the police and the inspector general of police that withdrew the services of the police.” He said
On the surprising victory of the Action Peoples Party (APP) in almost all local government seats, Inko-Tariah admitted to being in shock, acknowledging that the outcome was a blow to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), particularly for the state governor, who lost even in his own ward.
Despite the setback, he encouraged anyone dissatisfied with the results to take their grievances to court rather than resorting to violence.
“I am also in shock because now I am going to reach out to the chairman of the APP. I don’t even know him, funny enough. I think it is a slight on the part of the governor that a sitting governor and a member of the PDP lost even in his own ward. It is pathetic that we had that but that is what it is. If anybody wants to go to court, let him go to court and whatever the supreme court says it is, is what it is. What anybody will frown upon is the outbreak of violence after the elections.”
Chioma Kalu
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