A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers state has been confirmed dead following injuries he sustained from beatings by operatives of the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS) during the December 10 legislative rerun elections in the state.
According to The New Telegraph, the deceased, Mr. Lenee Neebani, who was the PDP chairman Ward 10, Khana local government area was arrested by SARS operatives during the elections allegedly on the orders of a top member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area.
After his arrest, the SARS operatives reportedly took the PDP chieftain to a hotel owned by the APC chieftain, where he was beaten to a state of coma and released on December 11.
But Neebani reportedly died the next day in the hospital where he was rushed to for treatment.
Similarly, another PDP member, Mr. Legborsi Azoor, who was also arrested in Khana during the rerun polls is currently in a critical condition in the hospital.
According to the leaders of the party, Mr. Legborsi Azoor, had been bleeding from his ears and nose after he was beaten up by the SARS operatives.
Chairman of the PDP in Khana, Sydney Tambari Gbaane, disclosed that that Azoor, who is the Ward 9 Secretary of the PDP in Khana, was arrested alongside others who were equally taken to the same hotel where they were beaten up by the police. .
Gbaane said security operatives during poll focused on arresting members of the PDP on the orders of the chieftain of the APC instead of providing security to the people of the area.
In a related development, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has reacted to release of an audio tape which contains recording of Governor Nyesom Wike allegedly threatening to kill an INEC official for not doing his bidding during the December 10 rerun of elections in the state.
Speaking with The Interview Magazine, Professor Mahmood Yakubu said it was curious that Etche which witnessed high level of irregularities in the legislative rerun election was mentioned in the audio recording.
Though the INEC boss said the commission was yet to make an official comment about the allegation against Wike, he noted that the tape provides a useful clue to what transpired there Etche.
