The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded the immediate resignation and prosecution of Chief Nyesom Wike as Governor of Rivers State. It made the demand in a statement issued to mark the Black Monday organised by a coalition led by the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, to honour over 100 party members in the State killed in the course of the campaigns and the 2015 elections held on March 28 and April 11.

“We demand the immediate resignation and prosecution of Chief Nyesom Wike not only because of these deaths but also for showing no sign of repentance over these deaths by authorising further attack on innocent APC supporters on their way to the Black Day rally and burning of 10 supporters' buses. Apart from these heinous acts, Wike has demonstrated naviety and lack of understanding of what governance is all about,” Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in the statement issued in the state capital, Port Harcourt.

According to Rivers APC, “Over 60 of our supporters from Omuma, Etche, Eleme, Degema, Gokana Asari-Toru and Akuku-Toru local government areas escaped death when PDP gunmen attacked the buses conveying them to the venue of the rally at the Polo Club, Evo Road, GRA, Port Harcourt, the state capital with ten of our buses burnt.”

It added: “Today is a special day. We set out today to honour those killed before, during and after the elections. We are calling on the Federal Government to look at the report of the Commission of Enquiry, headed by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu. After that revealing report, nobody has been arrested; today, more crimes are being committed with impunity. This is not the Rivers State of our dreams. The only way for the victims of the 2015 general election to have peace is to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to book.”

Rivers APC hailed party faithful for ensuring that “against all odds, evil machinations, threats and intimidation by the criminal wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State threatening brimstone and further killing should the Rivers State people go ahead with the Black Monday procession arranged to mourn the over 100 Rivers APC members killed by PDP in order to install Chief Nyesom Wike as Rivers State Care-Taker Governor, the Dakuku-led Rivers Coalition Group received massive support as it went ahead to hold a very successful procession in honour of these martyrs of our democracy.”

The party announced its decision “to make the Black Monday an annual event to be used to remember all those killed by the mindless agents of darkness currently ruining the economy of our state as they have made kidnapping, armed robbery, criminality, sacking of innocent Rivers people from their places of work policies of government.”

“We will like to reassure those murdered by Wike and his group that we will not rest until these wicked people are flushed out from brick House. We congratulate our leader, Dr Dakuku Peterside, and all those that made the maiden Black Monday possible, even as we commend the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, for ensuring a peaceful procession contrary to what Wike and his cohorts envisaged for the state this Monday,” the statement said.

•Photo shows Ikanya.