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Amaechi Okonkwo
The Peoples Democratic Party PDP, in Rivers State, populated mostly by supporters of its Presidential Candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar announced that, based on insecurity associated with the faction’s activities, it has decided to cancel the presidential campaign rally planned to hold in the State on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.
Speaking to journalists on Monday in Port Harcourt, Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Sen. Lea Maeba, stated that the decision to cancel the campaign rally was arrived at after due consultation “with our Principals on the need to shelve and or cancel the rally to avoid any deaths.”
He said though the decision might be painful, it was the best to take as “no human death can be excused on the insistent of holding the rally due to the brigandage which the security agencies have not been able to rein in and restore confidence security wise on the populace.”
Maeba stated, “We make bold to say so in the last preceding paragraph as Section 91(1) and (4) of the Electoral Act 2022 gave the party the right to hold rally and processions with police and other security apparatus of the Federal Government of Nigeria providing; adequate security, but that was not forthcoming, and we do not intend to take the laws into our hands believing and paying allegiance to the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without derogation”.
He cataloged the violence meted out to members of the Atiku group in Rivers State by the State Governor, Nyesom Wike, saying that the governor “in his avowed desire to scuttle and frustrate the campaign program of the party has carried out the following through his agents and acolytes” several violent attacks against the campaign council.
He said, “On August 19, 2022, the petroleum filling station of Honourable Chinyere Igwe alongside the Hospitality business premises of Honourable Jones Ogbonda and Ike Chinda were variously sealed by mouth order of Governor Nyesom Wike for the “offense” of being the supporters of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The petroleum filling station has remained sealed up to this moment.
“On November 6, 2022, one Udo Nwankwoala was brutalized in the company of Honourable Nnamdi Nwogu at Omumafor while pasting the campaign posters of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, this was reported to the Police with pictorial evidence, but nothing was heard from the Police till date.
He added that on December 8, 2022, huge bodily harm was inflicted on his property and person in the house, regretting that though the matter was reported to the Police, “instead of investigating the matters, the Commissioner of Police Rivers State alleged that the Senator perpetrated it.”
He went on, “On December 14, 2022, one Rhino Owhohaire, the youth director of Atiku/Okowa Campaign Council, was shot in his village Alu in Ikwerre Local Government Area and same was reported to the Police high command, and nothing came out of it even when a suspect was arrested, the government of Rivers State as an interested accomplice went and took him on bail.
“On February 5, 2023, 31 members of the Atiku Support Group were arrested in their meeting venue at GRA, Port Harcourt, and arraigned for remand at the correctional center in Port Harcourt on trumped-up charges of unlawful assembly, conspiracy, and cultism on February 6, 2023, they have been given March 23, 2023, as return date, the intention was to keep them out of the election.
“On February 9, 2023 Alabo Abiye Sekibo was informed that the venue earmarked for the PDP Presidential Campaign Rally was on fire at Rainbow Town, and he was attacked when he went to ascertain the veracity of the information.
The attack was made by the Police attached to the Government House, Port Harcourt. Fortunately, he escaped unhurt by God’s divine providence, but a rain of bullets fatally damaged his vehicle”.
He stressed that it was instructive to note that all the narratives indicate the scolding and overt acts of Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Governor of Rivers State, viz; openly branding members of PDP Presidential Council and all support of the presidential candidate as enemies of the StateState and vowing to crush them and video evidence are bound to support the assertion.
The Governor admitted attacking Abiye Sekibo and Senator Lee Maeba in his earlier statement at Eleme on Friday, February 10, 2023 boasting that armed robbers were chased away to take Government land and they were lucky to run away before he arrived at the scene.
“On the apparent bad faith and the invidious design of the Governor, he, after a long wait, approved the use of Adokiye Amesiamaka Stadium for the Presidential Rally, but upon the Campaign Council visiting the Stadium to ascertain the status of the facilities, he berated their visit and put a new rule as they can only visit the Stadium 48 hours to the fixed date of the rally.
“Regrettably and predictably, the Governor canceled the approval on the flimsy excuse that our party wants to hold a joint rally with APC in Rivers State on the approved date of February 11, 2023, to foment trouble.
“This unstable and unreliable stand of the Campaign Council to scout for an alternative venue and got an empty private land at Rainbow Town Port Harcourt.
“The Governor, with the use of Government house Police and other hoodlums, has thrown unabated violence, making it impossible to secure peaceful use of the facility.
“This is in tandem with the instruction of the Governor to his LGA Chairmen and other government appointees to exterminate, scuttle and bring to failure any campaign for the vote for the Candidate of PDP in the Presidential Election.
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“This is also part of the wider plot to maliciously put away members of the Campaign council until the Presidential Elections is over on frivolous charges,” he stated.
Other members at the briefing are the Director General of the PCC in the StateState, Dr. Abiye Sekibo; immediate past National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus; former Governor Celestine Omehia, Senator George Sekibo, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, Hon Chinyere Igwe, others.
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