A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the flag bearer of House of Representative for Sapele, Okpe and Uwvie Federal Constituency during the 2015 General Elections in Delta State , Hon. Christopher Erhodyne Anirah has raised the alarm that some individuals are planning to murder him over political differences.
Hon Christopher Anirah in a petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police; titled ‘Imminent Threat of Assassination’, said, “We have come to know that the National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (All Progressive Congress ) is the chief master mind of the above threat”.
Hon Anirah also fingered the Delta state APC Governorship candidate in the 2015 election, Chief Otega Emerhor, Delta State APC Chairman Mr. Igho Okrikpo and his Deputy and Chief Otega Emerhor, as part of the plot. He also pointed to others; Hon. Gibson Akporehe, Mr. Cyril Ogodo among others as possible culprits in the master minds of his planned assassination. He urged the IGP to effect their arrest to prevent them from carrying out their evil plans of ending his life.
According to Hon Anirah , his trouble started in December 2014 after he was duly elected at the APC primary election as the candidate to contest the 2015 General Election for House of Representative for Sapele, Okpe and Uvwie Federal Constituency.
Few days to the General Elections, Anirah discovered to his chagrin that his name has been substituted with one Gibson Akporehe who he alleged decamped to APC from PDP through the connivance of Mr Cyril Ogodo and Hon. Julius Okpoko through whom we was offered a N1.5 million bribe to forgo his mandate; a bribe he rejected.
Anirah pointed out that while the drama of his illegal substitution unfolded, he was shocked beyond words when he learnt that documentary evidence existed at the INEC headquarter proving he was dead, and when he requested for the documents, he was issued certified true copy of a forged death certificate which was used to substantiate the claim that he was dead and therefore needed to be substituted with Hon. Gibson Akporehe for the election.
To prove that he was alive, Hon. Anirah said he rushed to the INEC offices in Delta and Abuja to present himself as evidential proof that he was not dead, adding that he also wrote a petition to the former INEC chairman , Professor Attahiru Jega and the National Chairman of All Progressive Congress Chief John Odigie Oyegun.
He said rather than for Oyegun to take appropriate action, he connived with the Delta state APC chieftains to rob him of his electoral mandate.
Anirah said since the struggle to actualize is mandate started, he has been receiving anonymous, threatening phone calls and text messages from persons suspected to be cronies of the powerful forces behind his ordeal to drop his political ambition or risk been killed.
Meanwhile, Hon. Anirah has gone to court to enforce his right and to challenge the illegal substitution carried by APC during the 2015 General Election in Delta State. In the suit filed at the Federal High Court Asaba, with suit no. FHC/ASB/CS/47/15, the plaintiff is asking among other reliefs, the court should reinstate him as the candidate for the 2015 General Election in Delta State.
A proof that these issues are real surfaced when one of the respondents in his suits the Secretary of APC in Delta State Mr Okonji Chidi went to the High Court in Asaba Delta State in a SUIT NO A/M/19/2015 seeking to restrict the Inspector General of Police amongst other Police authorities from arresting him on the prayers of Hon Anirah’s Case; but in a judgment delivered on the 11th of May 2015, the court threw out his plea on the ground that his prayers lack merit in that the Police cannot be barred from investigating a complaint of a citizen. Seeking refuge from the police at the court is not necessary because a clear conscience fears no accusation.
The defendants in the suits are ; APC, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun, Delta State APC chairman, Prophet Jones Erhue, Delta State APC Deputy Chairman, Mr. Cyril Ogodo, Delta State APC gubernatorial candidate , Olorogun Otega Emerhor, INEC and four others.
He called on all well-meaning Nigerians, and lovers of Justice to come to his aid in his continued struggle to stay alive and to bring the perpetuators to justice. He said the issue should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet because the forging of documents and presenting such to a Federal Institution to gain advantage is a criminal act. He said “I call on Civil Society Organisations, The International Community and indeed the President who is a lover of justice to instruct the Inspector General of Police to prosecute the offenders”.
