Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said that he will set up a Judicial Commission of Enquiry into the deaths of the indigenes of the state killed before, during and after the March 28, 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections.Amaechi, who spoke on Saturday while addressing supporters of the All Progressives Congress in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, added that their deaths would be avenged by the law in line with his administration’s resolve to protect lives and property.
The governor explained that the head of the commission of enquiry would be a judge, adding that anybody found guilty would go to jail.
“I got approval from the Executive Council to set up a judicial commission of enquiry to investigate those deaths that happened before election, during election and after election.
“Anybody found guilty will go to jail. I didn’t set up administrative enquiry. I set up judicial commission of enquiry. It means that the man sitting there is sitting as a judge.
“He (chairman of the commission of enquiry) is not sitting as chairman, he is sitting as a judge, if you are found guilty, straight to jail,” the governor stressed.
Amaechi lamented the action of the police on innocent voters in the state during the March 28, 2015 elections and added that the governorship election in the state would be peaceful, free and fair.
The governor pointed out that his hope for a free and fair governorship poll was based on the new tide across the country, following the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) at the polls.
He said, “This time, election will be peaceful, free and fair. Last time, we saw policemen thumb printing for them. This time they will not. If they do that, take their name, take their number, record them for us.”
Amaechi described the April 11 election day as freedom day for all Nigerians and expressed the belief that there would be no more arbitrary arrests of the citizens by the police in the state.
He said, “People blamed me for leaving the PDP to the APC and I said they are wrong. They are wrong because God has directed that we should move to the APC and because God said it, I left them.”
He, however, maintained that contrary to the view in some quarters, the President-elect, Buhari, would not Islamise Nigeria, describing APC’s victory in the presidential election as the will of God for the country.
“I made it clear that God has said we would win Saturday’s election and I said we would be fighting with police and army but God would be behind us and if God is behind us, we would win, didn’t we win?” he said.
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