Three die in Anambra

In Bayelsa, some suspected loyalists of some failed aspirants late in the evening threw substances suspected to be dynamites into a two-storey building housing the party’s secretariat in Yenizue-Gene suburb of Yenagoa, the state capital.

The building was shattered by the explosives. The impact sent the neighbours scampering for safety. They expressed fears that the explosion was caused by a bomb.

The secretariat was yesterday like a war scene: The first and second floors were badly damaged. Also affected were the offices of the party’s Youth Leader in the state, Mr. Dan Kikile, on the first floor, and others on the second floor.

The explosives shattered ceiling boards, railings, glass doors and windows, as well as furniture and decking of the two floors.

Some persons were reported to have gathered at the party’s secretariat in the early hours of the day, while the explosion was said to have occurred between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

According to a resident, the timely intervention of some police officers on guard at the secretariat saved the situation.

Trouble started when information filtered into town that the names of many serving members of the state House of Assembly and other notable candidates had been dropped from the harmonised list.

Despite the heavy presence of Policemen,who apparently out of fear of further violence started shooting into the air, the exercise could not hold at Abagana, centre for the Njikoka/Dunukofia/Anaocha federal constituency.

Also at Awka, Ihiala, Onitsha and Nnewi, as well as at other centres, it was similar stories. Some members who were not favoured by the results like in Ihiala where Ken Emeakaai, a former Commissioner for Works and Transport in the state, accused other chieftains of using thugs to unleash mayhem on the delegates and to scare them away.

However, a member of the state House of Assembly,Vitalis Okafor, was announced victorious against the incumbent Chief Chuma Nzeribe, who sought re-election.

At Ukpor, headquarters of Nnewi South Council, nothing was happening as at 5:00 p.m. when The Guardian visited. But an incumbent seeking re-election, Chief Cyril Maduabum, could not understand the problem with the party officials, despite early arrival of more than 1,200 delegates and observers.

At Awka, Chief Emma Uchieze was declared victorious amidst allegations of manipulations and fraud. Three persons were feared dead in the fracas that broke out when the result was announced.

The primaries were suspended in some centres and fixed for today, notably Onitsha and Njikoka.

The state chairman, Dr. Tony Nwoye, urged aspirants and their supporters to eschew violence but to adopt spirit of sportsmanship in the interest of the nation.

A member of the organising/monitoring committee from national secretariat of the party, Mrs. Christy Silas, pleaded for calm and urged aggrieved members to complain formally to the party,. She added that her team lacked powers to alter any result already declared.

The PDP state Chairman, Tony Nwoye, also accused some “desperate politicians” of smuggling fake delegates list into some centres and warned that the culprits risked outright disqualification.

At Ozoakwa Central School, Ihiala, two versions of the results were presented. A member of the state House of Assembly, Vitalis Okafor, claimed to be the winner, in one result, beating his major contender in the House of Representatives by 600 to 100 votes. This was, however, countered by another aspirant, who only said: “I have no problem. The election process was fine.”

But speaking to reporters, Okafor said he was leading at the polls and his overwhelming votes irked his opponent who attempted to disrupt counting at the centre. He insisted that the process was concluded and that he was declared winner by the returning officer.

“As results were about to be announced, thugs sponsored by our opponents pounced on people, beat them up, seriously injured three persons and damaged three video cameras, including one we used to record the proceedings,” Okafor said.

He said that the matter had been reported to the police at Ihiala and that those injured were receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital. One John claimed to be the owner of a M352 digital video camera, which, among others, was smashed by the thugs.

At Ukpo, Nnewi South Local Council Headquarters, one of the centres for the primaries into Nnewi Federal Constituency, there were no signs of electoral officers as at 4:45p.m. on Saturday. The pro-Governor Peter Obi Speaker during the impeachment saga, Ben Chuks Nwosu, said he doubted if the electoral officials could cope with time in view of the absence of facilities.

“Accreditation of delegates has not started as at 5.00 p.m. There is no light here and night has come. In fact, there is no primaries going on,” he said.

The situation was not different elsewhere. Nwoye said that intelligence reports indicated that some politicians had produced a counterfeit delegates list which they had since used, or were about to use in subsequent primaries. But he gave assurance that adequate measures had been taken to check their desperate moves.

He said he had alerted security agencies, warning that anybody implicated would be prosecuted for forgery.

He said: “The era of manipulation has passed. The party has to present credible candidates for 2007”, pointing out that while only 11 seats were available, there were 97 aspirants for the House of Representatives.

He also appealed to security agents, particularly the State’s Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), to resist being used by politicians to harass and intimidate opponents, citing an incident at Njikoka where a security man allegedly threatened to pull his trigger on a man.

Nwoye cautioned security agents to ensure that there is safety of lives and property during elections.