The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has thrown its
weight behind the current probe of the State Resident Electoral
Commissioner (REC), Mrs. Gesila Khan, by the Department of State
Security (DSS).
The party in a statement by the State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu
Ikanya, berated the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for
seeking to stop the DSS from carrying out its constitutional duties
because of its well-known dalliance with Mrs. Khan.
“By petitioning the DSS over the probe of Mrs. Gesila Khan, the PDP
Reps have publicly exposed the unholy alliance between their party and
REC Khan, of which we have been crying even before the March 28 and
April 11 elections, in which she brazenly took sides with PDP and
worked overzealously to return the party’s candidates for all the
positions so as to justify the huge sums of money she collected from
the then ruling party and please her relation, the then president
Goodluck Jonathan,” Rivers APC said.
The party in the statement issued on Sunday in Port Harcourt pointed
out that if for nothing REC Khan should explain the source of the
humongous sum of N700m reportedly found in her account which suspect
must be funds the Jonathan Presidency and Candidate Nyesom Wike paid
out to the woman to buy the mandate of Rivers people in the last
general elections. Sadly, they did not tutor her well enough on how to
deal with such huge amount of money.
The party further stated that Under the new dispensation, the law is
not a respecter of individuals, stressing that Mrs. Khan and some of
her key staff invited for questioning by the DSS are not above the
law. “If they are sure of the results of the elections in Rivers
State, all they need to do is to report to the DSS and prove their
innocence,” Rivers APC said. It lambasted the Rivers Federal
Lawmakers, saying: “The petitioners here are beneficiaries of the
alleged crime perpetrated by REC Khan and her INEC collaborators, so
they have no moral justification to protest. Since when did the Reps
become defenders of INEC officials?”
According to Rivers APC, “If Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), former
National Security Adviser, former ADC to one-time Military President,
General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), a scion of the royal caliphate in
Sokoto, can be investigated by the DSS, then why the cry over the move
to investigate Mrs. Khan and her collaborators? Are they bigger than
Gordon Obuah, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief Security
Officer, who is also being investigated by the DSS despite being a
senior DSS official and still in service?”
The party advised PDP to come to terms with the fact that it is a new
dawn in Nigeria and that everyone should be prepared at all times to
defend his or her stewardship. “Power has CHANGED hands for good and
no one is a sacred cow. Even President Buhari has made it clear that
NO ONE SHALL ESCAPE JUSTICE,” Rivers APC stated.