The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has expressed sadness over the repeat violence at Sunday’s rally organised in Ogoniland by the Save Rivers Movement (SRM). Just as happened the previous Sunday at the SRM’s rally held at the College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, the rally at Bori in Khana Local Government Area was also brutally stopped by gun men, who left several cars and people injured and at least two innocent people lost their lives as reported by the PDP in Rivers State.

Rivers APC in a press statement issued this morning in Port Harcourt blamed both the state PDP and Police Command for the sad turn of events. The statement signed by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, spokesman of Interim State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said:

“For PDP to have sent out a press statement even while the shooting was going on in Khana indicating pre-information of this attack and ascertaining the number of people they killed simply indicates that they were part of the attack.

“In the case of the Port Harcourt rally of January 12, the shooting was directly done by the police with Senator Magnus Abe, the Senator representing Rivers South East zone and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), and Chief Tony Okocha, the Chief of Staff to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, as the targets and among those who sustained injuries. But at the Khana rally, the targets were Secretary to the State Government (SSG) George Feyi, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly Barr Leyi Kwanee, Chief Victor Giadom, the Hon. Commissioner of Works, and again the Chief of Staff, Chief Tony Okocha, as their cars were riddled with bullets.

“It is unfortunate that while Senator Abe is still receiving treatment abroad as a result of that shooting, thugs hired by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) brazenly disrupted Khana’s rally in Ogoniland under the supervision of the police. This explains why none of the hoodlums was arrested by the police, which failed to provide security at the rally as requested by the organisers.

“It is sad and unfortunate that Rivers State Police Command shamelessly denied that the Command was not duly notified of this rally but her duly acknowledged letter of 17th January, 2014 from Save Rivers Movement notifying her about the rally is attached in case anybody is in doubt of the tissue of lies by the Rivers State Police Command.

“Needless to say, this brazen conduct by the police and the untouchable PDP lords in Rivers State makes a mockery of the on-going investigation of the orchestrated violence that disrupted the January 12 rally in Port Harcourt. It also raises questions about the sincerity of the promise by the Police High Command in Abuja to probe the Port Harcourt show of shame.

“The incident at the Khana rally leaves nobody in doubt anymore that the Rivers State Police Command is now an extension of PDP in Rivers State if the numerous rallies in support of CP Mbu’s impunities in the state are anything to go by. We thank Chief Nyesome Wike the Minister of Education who attested to this unholy marriage during the last GDI rally at Degema in the state when he stated, ‘No policeman can arrest members of the Grassroots Democratic Initiative (GDI). We are free of any arrest; no police will arrest any member of GDI or interrupt their activities or gathering in this State. Don’t forget it is Amaechi who was ordering police to arrest GDI members anywhere they are gathering. Now he is the one crying over arrest and disruption of APC gathering in the state. He has not started crying; the police will continue to chase them’.”

Rivers APC “unequivocally” condemned “the recourse to violence by the police and PDP to disrupt pro-APC rallies while PDP members are given police protection for their own rallies.” It called on Nigerians “to rise as one to condemn this double standard which has the capability to plunge Rivers State into unmitigated chaos.”

The party also repeated its demand for “the immediate redeployment of the partisan State Police Commissioner, CP Joseph Mbu, out of Rivers State before he plunges the state into unprecedented anarchy that may consume our nascent democracy.”

•Photo shows Rivers PDP Chairman, Brother Feix Obuah.

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