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| Obioa Akpor LGA Taken over by Police |
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has dismissed
claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that APC is behind the
takeover of Local Government Secretariats in the State by the Police.
Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement
issued Sunday morning in the State capital, Port Harcourt: “The
accusation is watery, baseless and without foundation. APC as a party
has nothing to do with the Police taking over the LG Secretariats in
Rivers State. We are not a lawless party like PDP that used the Police
and other security organs to make the State virtually ungovernable
during their time in power at the centre.”
Dr. Ikanya pointed out that APC has always been known as a party that
respects and advocates strict adherence to the rule of law, saying
there was no way it would suddenly turn around to do otherwise. His
words:
“The memory of how the lawless PDP-led Federal Government under the
watch of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan used the Police to harass, intimidate
and hound then-Governor Rotimi Amaechi and APC leaders in Rivers State
remains ever fresh. PDP leaders in the State clapped and danced when
their leader, Chief Nyesom Wike, murdered the rule of law through the
infamous CP Joseph Mbu. He heartlessly dispersed 13,000 teachers who
gathered to receive their employment letters, aided the five renegade
lawmakers to attempt the impeachment of the then Speaker of the Rivers
State House of Assembly, barricaded and sealed the State Assembly for
one legislative year and even blocked the access road to the
Government House on one occasion, preventing Governor Amaechi and his
visitors from using the road. It was the same Wike who as a junior
Minister and with the backing of the then lawless First Lady Patience
Jonathan ordered his thugs to stone State Governors who visited Rivers
in solidarity with Amaechi for the humiliation he suffered under the
watchful eyes of then-President Jonathan. Wike later used the police
and the army to forcefully break into the newly constructed stadium
just to prove his powers.
“Having unequivocally condemned such excesses, there is no way we as a
party could possibly turn around to instigate the Police under the
new, law-abiding administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, to walk
the path of infamy as was the case during the discredited Jonathan
administration. In any case, even if we haboured any such thoughts, it
wouldn’t have been possible to execute it under the present
dispensation as the President Buhari Administration is not running a
lawless government as was the case during the time of Dr. Jonathan and
could not have directed the Police to embark upon any illegal act.”
While restating Rivers APC’s rejection of the controversial order by
Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court Port Harcourt sacking
the 22 LG Chairmen elected during the Amaechi era, Rivers APC stressed
that it will follow constitutionally approved judicial processes to
seek justice in the matter. The party commended the Police for acting
promptly to forestall the breakdown of law and order following Justice
Akanbi’s unpopular judgement. It vowed “to do everything lawful to
ensure that our elected LG councils are not in any way humiliated out
of office.” It called for calm while reassuring the good people of
Rivers State that the mandate they gave APC to administer the LG
councils would be retrieved and restored in due time.
Signed
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
SSA Media and Public Affairs to the State Chairman, APC Rivers State
