The Director-General of NIMASA and gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general elections, Dakuku Peterside, has denied allegations which indicted him of being behind alleged plots to disrupt Saturday’s Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.
Peterside, in a statement on Thursday, said claims that he had recruited, armed and distributed military uniform to hoodlums to cause mayhem across Rivers South East senatorial district on March 9 are “the handiwork of jobless people and a jittery paymaster who is afraid of his own past misdeeds.”
He said only “Irresponsible and never-do-well misfits” could concoct such stories about him even as he also denied having anything to do with the arrest of the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja.
“Rivers people know me as a peaceful person. I am proud of my heritage and Opobo/Nkoro people love me because of my antecedents.
“Associating me with such evil deed is not only reckless, it is the handiwork of jobless people and a jittery pay master who is afraid of his own past misdeeds.
“Despite belonging to different political leaning, Tamunosisi remains my brother and close friend. I have no reason to hunt or harm him. I will never be privy to such a plot.
“I have never been associated with violence and would never support such. I am a man of peace and decent engagement. Only those who have skeletons in their cupboards are now looking for who to pull down.”
He called on Rivers people to ignore such fake stories, adding that he has no reason to cause mayhem as he had won his home local government for his political party in previous elections
Peterside also appealed to Rivers people to be peaceful ahead of Saturday polls and cooperate with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure hitch-free polls.
