Peterside to be tried for murder - Rivers govt

– Rivers state government has accused the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 gubernatorial election, Dakuku Peterside, of attempted murder

– Peterside allegedly escaped from Ikwerre local government area of the state with some stolen result sheets

– Peterside alleged that he narrowly escaped assassination from agents of the state’s government

The Rivers state government has accused Dakuku Peterside of attempted murder.

The managing director of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, may be sent to jail as the Rivers state government has revealed its plan against him.

Vanguard reports that the state government on March 21, said Peterside, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 gubernatorial election would be prosecuted for alleged murder.

The NIMASA helmsman is alleged to have attempted to kill an aide to the governor’s chief of staff on Sunday in the heat of the violence that marred the state’s parliamentary elections held on Saturday, March 19.

The defeated governorship candidate was said to have swiftly issued a statement regarding the reported violence that marred the state’s rerun elections, alleging that he escaped an assassination attempt for mercenaries of the state government in a blink of an eye.

But, the special assistant to the state governor on electronic media, Simeon Nwakaudu, in a statement alleged that Peterside ordered his security details to murder an aide to the chief of staff to the governor while absconding from Ikwerre local government area of the state with some result sheets. 

“The incident took place at the UTC junction in GRA after Dakuku Peterside instead of taking Ikwerre Local Government Area result sheets snatched from collation officers to INEC office drove with it towards the GRA. He had stormed the Collation Centre in Isiokpo with soldiers after which he hijacked the already collated results, which included the Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency. Chief of Staff to Governor Wike, Engr Emeka Woke is a PDP Collation Agent for Emohua Local Government Area. Dakuku Peterside, plays politics from Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area and has no links with Ikwerre Local Government Area.

“After he snatched the results alongside his defeated running mate, Asita Asita, Dakuku Peterside and the soldiers fled towards Port Harcourt. The PDP leaders of Ikwerre and Emohua Federal Constituency followed suit. At Omagwa near the airport, the soldiers withdrew leaving the SARS personnel from Abuja to take over the electoral theft operation. At Omagwa, defeated APC candidate for Ikwerre State Constituency, Azubike Wanjoku attempted to murder the LGA Electoral Officer when he used his Armoured Sports Utility Vehicle to ram into the Electoral Officer’s car. The SARS personnel with Dakuku Peterside also opened fire on the rest of the people. The Electoral Officer was shot.

“It was from this point that Dakuku Peterside motorcade in neck-breaking speed drove towards Port Harcourt. “Chief of Staff to Governor Wike, Engr Emeka Woke became a victim as the same SARS personnel with Dakuku Peterside opened fire on the vehicle of the Chief of Staff. Like in the case of infamous Chidi Lloyd, Dakuku Peterside went ahead to release a false press statement on the issue,” the statement reads.

The Rivers state government had initially alleged in its first press release that the defeated governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Peterside attempted to assassinate Mr Emeka Woke, the chief of staff to Governor Nyesome Wike.

This is contrary to a report by Sahara reporters that the chief of staff to Nyesome Wike, the state governor, Mr Emeka Woke attempted to cut short the life of Peterside, who was recently appointed the director general of NIMASA.