On Wednesday, hoodlums and sporadic gunshots from police operatives put an end to an ongoing protest by disgruntled members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, alleging denial of participation in a phoney screening exercise for State House of Assembly aspirants.
Members of the placard, mostly supporters of Senator Magnus Abe, accused Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the former Minister of Transportation and Presidential aspirant, of attempting to sway the screening process for his preferred candidates.
The peaceful protest began around 9 a.m. at the party’s state security headquarters on Woji Road in GRA, Port Harcourt, when aggrieved members demanded that the gate to the secretariat halls be opened and a gunshot was fired from within the premises.
Even though security operatives were present to ensure the peaceful conduct of the protest, aggrieved party members could not help but throw stones at the premises to express their displeasure with the gunshots fired by undisclosed security personnel from the party premises.
Following the tumultuous situation that senior police officers were attempting to calm and maintain a peaceful environment, hoodlums suspected of being cultists descended on the scene and began attacking anyone seen in front of the secretariat.
The hoodlums’ actions drew the reinforcement of more tactical security operatives, and there were sporadic gunshots, which caused journalists covering the protest, as well as aggrieved members of the party, including suspected cultists, to flee for their lives.
As of the time of filing this report, the hoodlums injured many people and stole their belongings, no one was killed.
Uloma Onyeche, a female aspirant for the Etche Constituency I seat in the state House of Assembly, had earlier complained that she was denied access to the screening after purchasing her nomination form.
“We’ve come to see a Congress that I don’t understand.” Dr. Adoje Omale, the chairman, has been compromised, and when one of us got his phone number and called him, he was furious. A man who is supposed to be impartial when it comes to conducting congresses.
“The chairman has moved the materials, according to reliable sources.” How come the man who is supposed to be unbiased is biassed? We saw him with Mr. Asita O. Asita, a Senatorial candidate.
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“We are Rivers people, and they are doing their master’s bidding; we have had enough suffering.” I am a woman who worked hard to earn the money you took the last time with no results, and now we have paid our money to the APC, and Amaechi thinks that instead of building Rivers State, he should tear it down.”
“We heard that one man named Victor Giadom, under the directive of former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, has asked him to hijack the chairman and secretary that is supposed to be here to attend and address us and tell us their modus operandi and how the elections are supposed to be but until now we have not seen any sign,” said Chikwe Orlu, Obio/Akpor Constituency 2.
Dr. Anosike Oduwa Joseph, a state Assembly candidate, bemoaned the fact that he had to spend money on the forms. “Our party’s national chairman should behave differently than other chairmen, without fear or favour.” APC is a party for all people, not a private property.
“I will resist any injustice, and we will resist it, because I spent my hard-earned money to purchase this form.” You cannot defraud us and take away our rights. We will resist impunity, every power that wants to prevent the majority from contesting elections, and we will resist any power that wants to want.”
Meanwhile, the state APC leadership has stated that they are still trying to figure out who is protesting and why they are protesting at the state party secretariat.
Chris Finebone, the APC’s State Publicity Secretary, said that the party congress is taking place in various wards and local government areas across the state, rather than at the secretariat.
FINEBONE said that materials for the congresses have been sent to the various wards and local government areas where the exercise will be held, but that the party executive will address those gathered at the party secretariat once their leaders have been identified.
“The screening is scheduled for 2 p.m. and is only for State Assembly candidates.” It’s unrelated to the ward or the Local Government Area Congress.
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“We were supposed to hold a stakeholders meeting at 2 p.m., which we will do.” The world will not end if they make it impossible for stakeholders meetings to take place.
“If they want to discuss the ward congresses, they will not be held here; materials have been distributed to all 319 wards, and exercise may have begun in some of them as we speak.”
“They have no business with screening, which is a completely different matter.” Many of them have no idea why they’re here because they were hired to come disrupt something here, just like they did in 2018, 2019,” Finebone continued.
