By Valentine Amanze
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State has condemned the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a serial show of irrationality and fear since the recent posting of a new Commissioner of Police to the state.
APC stated on Tuesday in Yenagoa that PDP had taken its phobia to an alarming extent of now creating frightening scenarios and plotting “low level fiction” all in an attempt to incite the populace against the police.
The Bayelsa State APC Publicity Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, was responding to a statement by the PDP, alleging that the state police commissioner’s office had become APC’s “operational political base”.
APC said that it considered it indecent and reprehensible that a party in control of government and power in the state could be so frightened by a lawful routine security posting, with no evidence of infraction that it would begin to provoke unlawful behaviour among the population.
APC recalled that not long ago, under the Governor Seriake Dickson government, his friend and member of his party, PDP, was posted to the state as Commissioner of Police. And despite apparent injustices, APC never resorted to PDP’s current attempt to provoke public anger against the police and cause anarchy, the statement said.
It accused the PDP of having something untoward up its sleeves and fearing that the new police commissioner would not condone such.
“The PDP is taking its objection to the posting of the new Bayelsa State Police Commissioner, Joseph Mukan, beyond the red lines. It has become a joke taken too far,” APC stated.
The full statement:
A JOKE TAKEN TOO FAR
We have read a press statement issued by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, alleging that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is working in cahoots with the new Commissioner of Police to cause insecurity in the state. Specifically, the State PDP Chairman says the Police Commissioner’s Office now serves as APC’s “operational political base”.
As usual, the PDP has not provided any evidence to support this low level fiction. We consider it indecent, reprehensible and ungodly for a political party that is in control of government and power at the state to serially incite the populace against the police. We are in a democracy, and the PDP must know that it has to respect all the institutions of law and order. The PDP cannot decide for the Inspector General of Police whom he should appoint as Police Commissioner in the state. Except there is something they are not telling us, the PDP is not in a position to say it is only someone they can do business with that must be Police Commissioner in the state. The PDP is taking its objection to the posting of the new Bayelsa State Police Commissioner, Joseph Mukan, beyond the red lines. It has become a joke taken too far.
The Bayelsa APC is a party of peace-loving people committed to democracy and the progress of Bayelsa State. Like President Muhammadu Buhari, we would like to take the state to the next level. We have nothing to gain in the event of a breakdown of law and order in the state.
We recall that Governor Seriake Dickson’s personal friend and PDP member was not too long ago posted to the state as Police Commissioner under his administration. Despite obvious biases and injustices against the APC at the time, we remained committed to peace. We never resorted to the open incitement to violence and campaign for anarchy, which has become the stock in trade of the Bayelsa PDP since the recent police postings to the state.
We cannot help but wonder with alarm what unlawful acts the PDP plans to engage in this time, which they fear the new Police Commissioner, unlike their friend and party man, would not condone.
To us, the new police commissioner is doing very well in the state.
Indeed, we commend him for reaching out to all the critical segments of society, especially the youth, in his attempt to rid the state of crime and criminality. Similarly, we salute Police Commissioner Mukan for apprehending the suspected killers of Miss Seifa Fred. Fred, a first year student of Niger Delta University, was killed recently in Yenagoa.
We call on the people of Bayelsa State to support and cooperate with Police Commissioner Mukan.
