A pro-democracy group has advised Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate killings and atrocities committed against the people of of the oil-rich state during the 2016 elections rerun of March 10 and December 10.
“The barbaric incidents that happened on the two dates must be investigated and documented for implementation and posterity,” Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, CDNDC, said in a statement.
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The group in a statement on Monday, December 12, 2016 by it co-convener, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, tasked Governor Nyesom Wike, “to as a matter of urgency sets up a judicial commission of inquiry to bring to book all those involved in the electoral assaults against the State.
“As the ‘chief security officer’ of Rivers State, Gov. Wike owes it a duty to the dead, the injured, their relatives, the people of Rivers and the democratic world to constitute this commission to urgently document all cases when it is still easy to gather evidences.
“It is our candid believe that, if the perpetrators are temporarily shielded by any power, they cannot be permanently shielded from justice. A time will come when they will all account for their deeds and that time will come.
“However, if we don’t open the books to record their deeds, many more will commit the same dastardly acts and even more, and the future will question our sense of commitment to justice and sanctity of lives,” the statement added.
CDNDC also berated the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for compromising standards and “for allowing some desperate politicians to run riots against the electoral system.
“We recently called on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood to step down because Nigerians have lost confidence in his leadership – the Rivers reruns have further vindicated our position.
“INEC under the present leadership will bungle the 2019 general elections. This is our fear, except we have new hands and something urgent is done,” the coalition said.
