Opinion: Between APGA And PDP In Abia: Who Are The Riggers?

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News From The State Sunday, April 19th, 2015

By Sam Hart – The Igbos have two proverbs in relation to unfolding events relating to the April 11 Governorship elections in Abia State.

First is that it is he who farts that first raises the alarm of the odour of flatulence to deflect attention from his culpability.

Second is that ‘ogbu mma anaghi ekwe ka ejiri mma ga ya na azu’. Roughly translated to mean that he who is used to cutting with the machette does not allow anyone go behind him with a machette for fear of being a recipient of his ways.

The reason for this voyage into the rich world of Igbo proverbs is to draw attention to the sustained cry of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State and their Governorship Candidate, Dr. Alex Otti that they were rigged out of the Abia Governorship contest.

Could their constant cry have anything to do with either or both of the above proverbial analogies? Are they screaming Rigging Rigging in the hope that when they scream it first, attention will not be paid to them as the actual riggers or are they screaming because like the master-riggers that they are, they do not want to allow anyone out rig them?

As I write this piece, I am at the D7 Criminal Investigation Department of the Abia State Police Command Headquarters in Umuahia where a woman has been brought in in lieu of her husband who escaped upon sighting men of the Abia State Police Command who stormed their house based on a tip off.

The Police as narrated by the informant who led them there to newsmen at the Police headquarters eventually searched the house at Amiyi Nvosi in Isialangwa South LGA of Abia State belonging to a staunch member of APGA in the area and reportedly recovered from the ceiling, sensitive INEC materials like INEC Result sheets, ballot papers a Walkie Talkie and Army Camouflages.

These materials have been reportedly warehoused in Police custody as they continue their search for the culprit.

Meanwhile, the Police have scheduled a Press briefing for Monday, April 20, 2015 to disclose their findings.

The Police were tipped off by a woman in the community who was beaten up for challenging the suspect and his band of APGA thugs who moved around Isialangwa North and South LGAS during the April 11 Governorship elections threatening voters to either vote APGA or face dire consequences.

Note also that a Rev. Canon who served as Returning Officer in Obingwa LGA during the Abia Governorship elections disclosed openly at the INEC collation centre in Umuahia that he was offered N50 Million by agents of APGA to declare that no elections held in Obingwa LGA.

There is also the report of men in military uniform who chased away PDP agents leaving only INEC officials and APGA agents at the collation center in Aba South LGA where they went ahead to allocate election figures with no PDP agent present to authenticate the figures allotted.

With the above and several others, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the people who have been telling us that they are smelling flatulence are actually the once that farted.

On Saturday, April 25, 2015, rerun elections will be held in the polling units where elections could not hold on April 11 and a winner will be declared in this election and we’ll know who is who.

Till then, we stay observing developments.