Sola Adebayo, Rotimi Ajayi & Tony Edike
5 May 2003
Warri — ABOUT eight persons lost their lives in weekend's state assembly elections in Delta State.
And with criticisms still trailing the various elections, Igbo leaders of thought rose from an emergency meeting in Enugu yesterday calling for a government of national unity to run the country from May 29, while the Movement for Democracy and Justice resolved to go to court.
The dead in the Delta violence included five in the Burutu, two at Ozoro and one (an 11-year-old boy) at Oleh. Besides, five buildings including Okpe Local Government Council office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were razed.
The victims were killed in clashes between political thugs.
Eye-witnesses said the thugs went on the rampage at Orere-okpe, headquarters of Okpe Local Government after the Electoral Officer (EO) in the council allegedly failed to provide electoral score sheets. The thugs who alleged that the EO had released the materials to their opponents to falsify results went to the back of building and set it on fire. All the occupants of the buildings, including INEC official and the warding politicians scampered into safety as fire ravaged the building.
In Burutu, thugs were said to have engaged themselves in a gun duel over an attempt by a group to divert voting materials to unathorised areas. At the end of the bloody skirmishes five persons were left dead. Several others sustained varying degree of gunshot injuries.
In Oleh, an 11-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet triggering a riot. Four buildings belonging to suspected butters of the teenager were razed in the riot.
Sanity has, however returned to the town after the intervention of policemen. At Ozoro in Isoko North Council, two of the warriors lost their lives in a fracas over alleged plan to divert election materials. Investigations revealed that some armed political thugs had ambushed INEC officials shortly after taking delivery of election materials, ostensibly to divert them to a private residence for manipulation. Members of the opposing party who got wind of the development allegedly moved to stop the plan. The police area commander, Warri, Mr. Joseph Abina (DCP) confirmed the incidents, but said peace had returned to the troubled areas.
*Ojukwu, others want national govt
Igbo Leaders of Thought, led by presidential candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu rose from an emergency summit in Enugu yesterday, proposing a government of national unity to take over governance of Nigeria from May 29, 2003. The group demanded that such a government when put in place "shall promptly organise a national conference of Nigeria's ethnic nationalities, undertake a comprehensive and proper voter registration exercise, constitute a truly Independent Electoral Commission and conduct a free, fair and non-violent elections in which the military shall play no role.
This, according to the Igbo leaders, was the path of honour that shall guarantee stability and restoration of confidence in the Nigerian enterprise. In a seven-point communique signed by former Minister of Health, Dr. Tim Menakaya and Chief Onwuka Ukwa, Chairman and Executive Secretary of the group, they declared support for all the political parties who have rejected the results of the general elections, which according to them, "were characterised by unprecedented fraud and manipulations."
The Igbo Leaders of Thought also commended all the election monitoring teams from Nigeria and abroad that minced no words in describing the 2003 general elections in Nigeria "as lacking in legitimacy and should therefore be rejected." Expressing their profound gratitude to Ndigbo all over Nigeria who responded to their earlier request for them to vote massively for APGA and its presidential candidate, the Igbo leaders noted that the unleashing of military men on the people of the South-East zone during the election and the allocation of low figures to APGA contestants, were intended to humiliate Ndigbo.
"In the light of this provocation, we enjoin Ndigbo nationwide to remain calm and vigilant while a special strategic committee meets to articulate appropriate response to the current situation," the communique said.
*MDJ heads for court
The Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ) has resolved to carry through to the Supreme Court, its crusade to get the April 19 presidential election annulled. National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Kalli Al-Gazali made this known in Abuja yesterday while addressing newsmen on the reason behind the party's suit at the Court of Appeal. The party filed a suit at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, challenging the legality of President Olusegun Obasanjo's victory at the elections. According to him, the party believed so much in the judiciary and would explore all the opportunities available under the law in case the suit failed at the Court of Appeal. He stated that although the party was dissatisfied with the April 12 and 19 elections, it would not support the moves being made by the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate to incite mass action. Alhaji Al-Gazali said that the MDJ was in court to challenge the presidential elections because of the party's interest in uniting Nigeria. "The purpose of our going to court is to get this election cancelled in order to save Nigeria from disintegration."
The MDJ, he said had already commenced consultation with some other political parties over the court case. He named one of the parties as the Community Party of Nigeria and The National Conscience Party.
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