Criminal Politics: Violence, “Godfathers” and Corruption in Nigeria

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than a dozen people, including gang leaders,
cultists and low-level thugs, who acknowledged having organized or carried out acts
of paid violence on behalf of the PDP in order to rig the 2003 elections in Rivers. All
of them said that they worked on behalf of the state government or PDP candidates
for office to intimidate voters, attack their sponsors’ opponents or rig the voting
directly in favor of then-Governor Peter Odili and the PDP. 283
The PDP’s primary instruments in using violence to rig the 2003 polls in Rivers were
two gangs that have since been at the forefront of violent crimes and “militant”
activity throughout the state: the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), led by
Asari Dukobo, and the Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV), led by Ateke Tom. State
government officials have vehemently denied their sponsorship of these groups, but
the activities of some officials have been documented by Human Rights Watch,
Nigerian civil society groups and journalists. 284 Ateke Tom himself acknowledged the
role he played in the 2003 elections, telling Human Rights Watch that then-Governor
Odili had promised cash and jobs in great quantities for himself and his ‘boys’ and
that in return, “Any place Odili sent me, I conquer[ed] for him. I conquer[ed]
everywhere.” 285 Governor Odili has consistently denied any relationship with Ateke,
Asari, or any other gang leader.
The Legacy of the 2003 Polls in Rivers
Much of the compensation that PDP politicians promised to the groups they helped
finance and arm during the 2003 elections never materialized. Specifically, many
youth recruited by politicians to carry out electoral violence complain that they were
promised additional cash payments and, more importantly, government jobs after
the elections. Many gang members interviewed by Human Rights Watch point to
poverty and unemployment as the sole factors motivating them to participate in
political violence and crime. 286
283 Human Rights Watch interviews, Port Harcourt, December 2005, August 2006 and April 2007.
284 Along with Governor Peter Odili, former Secretary to the State Government and Federal Transportation Minister Abiye
Sekibo reportedly played a central role in sponsoring the violent activities of Ateke Tom’s NDV in particular. See Human Rights
Watch, Rivers and Blood, pp. 2-3 and 4-6 ; Human Rights Watch, Nigeria’s 2003 Elections: The Unacknowledged Violence, pp.
14-19.
285 Human Rights Watch interview with Ateke Tom, Rivers State, April 13, 2007.
286 Human Rights Watch interviews, Port Harcourt, August 2006 and April 2007.
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Human Rights Watch October 2007