The whereabouts of Dr. Godswill Dike, a lawyer for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, remain unknown after he was allegedly kidnapped at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Port Harcourt on Thursday evening. Dike, the brother of the state APC legal adviser Barr. Azubuike Dike, was reportedly seized by hoodlums who had laid siege to the INEC premises.
Sogbeye Eli, spokesperson for the state APC 2023 Governorship Campaign Council, disclosed the incident during a joint press briefing with the state Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, in Port Harcourt. Eli explained that Dike had gone to INEC to request Certified True Copies (CTC) of election documents used for the March 18 poll, which the party needed to file applications at the election petition tribunal. He alleged that some PDP chieftains in the state masterminded the abduction and stole the CTC documents in Dike’s possession.
Eli said, “We have just been informed about the abduction of Dr. Godswill Dike, a lawyer, member of our party, and brother of the state Legal Adviser, Barr. Azubuike Dike, this evening right inside the Rivers State Headquarters of INEC on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.” He added that Dike had been invited to collect the certified copies pursuant to Section 74 of the Electoral Act 2022. “Acting on a tip‑off, Edison Ehie and Samuel Nwanosike, aided by a PDP mob outside the premises, swooped on him inside the INEC office shortly after he signed for the documents and fled with him to the State Assembly residential quarters behind the INEC headquarters.”
Eli recounted the party’s attempts to intervene. “Our initial reaction was to contact the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Jackson Alalibo Semikien, to report the criminal abduction. Curiously, the REC has done nothing beyond a press release two days ago directing parties to go to LGA offices for the documents they may require.” The REC allegedly told the APC governorship candidate that nothing more could be done, as the documents had already been released to Dike.
Further contacts were made with the Deputy Speaker, who assured that Dike would return safely but suggested the seized materials be forgotten. A call to the military yielded no assistance, as the hierarchy stated that, without a police invitation, they could not intervene in a purely civil matter. Consequently, Eli called on the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to apprehend Deputy Speaker Edison Ehie and Ikwerre Council Chairman Samuel Nwanosike, to safeguard Dike’s life and retrieve the election materials.
In response, Samuel Nwanosike, the Ikwerre LGA Chairman accused of involvement, denied the allegations. “How can I kidnap somebody in a party that we won fair and square in the election? Sogbeye Eli speaks with both sides of his mouth. The truth is that APC is not ready to play politics.” He claimed the PDP was at the INEC office to protest a suspected infraction and that inspection of election materials should be conducted jointly by the parties for fairness and transparency. “We will not allow that to happen. We plead with INEC to be firm and do what is right within the law,” Nwanosike added.
Efforts to reach the State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Johnson Alalibo, were unsuccessful; he did not answer calls or respond to texts and WhatsApp messages. Similarly, the State Commissioner of Police, Okon Effiong, did not answer his phone or reply to a message. When contacted, Grace Iringe‑Koko, spokesperson for the state police command, said she had not yet received a report of the incident. “When did it happen? I have not received such a report, but I will find out and get back to you,” she said, but had not responded further at the time of this report.
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