Special Adviser on Media to Governor Wike, Simeon Nwakaudu, noted that the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) were distorting the proceedings at the tribunal over the April 11 election.
He alleged that the agencies were spreading falsehood and carrying out the biddings of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the tribunal. He said: “Each time you read a report from the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal, look out closely for the futile attempt and ungodly conspiracy by Federal Government agencies to create the wrong impression about the governorship election on April 11.
“So far, the highest echelon of the Nigerian Army and DSS have been involved in this show of shame. In case you still don’t understand, the dissemination of all the reports that have excluded cross examination of witnesses have been the responsibility of another Federal Government agency, NAN.
“This is the ungodly circle of conspiracy with the mandate of a higher authority to spread lies, half-truths and misleading information to the Nigerian public. “It is regrettable that the nation’s security agencies under this dispensation have been reduced to gossip centres.
How on earth can the Army and DSS officials mount the witness box only to rehash what someone told them? “Under cross examination, all of them denied ever participating or seeing anyone committing electoral fraud in Rivers State on April 11. “Contrary to the false propaganda being circulated by NAN, the people spoke their mind. This aspect is what NAN, under directive, is keeping away from Nigerians. What NAN is doing is a disservice to the nation, denying the people the right to balanced reportage, despite being funded by the taxpayers.”
In another development, the Rivers State government has described an INEC staff, one Mr. Charles Kaye Okoye, who testified at the electoral tribunal sitting in Abuja as a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to Nwakaudu, the witness campaigned for President Muhammadu Buhari during the general elections, and was planted by the APC to testify for INEC. He said that Okoye’s appearance at the tribunal was part of the plot by the APC to discredit the victory of Governor Wike during the governorship election.
Nwakaudu added: “Investigations revealed that his hearsay testimony at the tribunal is part of an ongoing plot by the APC to use lies and propaganda to cast doubts over the governorship election lost by the party in Rivers State. “Investigations further revealed that he has been on the payroll of the APC as one of the compromised staff, hence he wrote a personal report on the election, paid for by the APC that was presented at the tribunal.”
He said there were evidences in the social media that Okoye was a staunch supporter of Buhari and the APC, even though he posted on his Facebook page that the Rivers election was free and fair, and urged Dr. Dakuku Peterside, the APC governorship candidate to support Governor Wike.
