Director-General of Atiku’s Campaign Council in Rivers State, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, escapes assassination by the whiskers
By Emma Ogbuehi
The tempo of violence in River ahead of the general elections, rose on Thursday, when the Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council in the State, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, escaped assassination by the whiskers.
Sources indicated that gunmen dressed in police uniform opened fire on Sekibo’s vehicle, a Land Cruiser bulletproof jeep at the Rainbow Town in Port Harcourt, where he went to inspect the venue of a proposed presidential rally of the party.
Confirming the incident at a news briefing Friday, Sekibo said his car was riddled with bullets and the venue of the proposed rally set on fire, while policemen watched the inferno
“As we approached the site, those policemen who were watching the inferno opened fire on our vehicle. I looked at the Hilux vehicles, they were police Hilux vehicles attached to the Governor of Rivers State.”
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There has been no reaction from the state and police authorities on the alleged attacks on Sekibo. This is not the first time Atiku’s supporter in the state would come under attack by gunmen.
In December last year, suspected thugs broke into the Port Harcourt residence of Senator Lee Maeba, another strong ally of the former Vice President, destroying some vehicles and inflicting bodily injury on his elder brother.
Lee Maeba is the chairman of the PDP presidential campaign council for Rivers State, a position that has pitted him against the state governor, Nyesom Wike.
Wike and four governors of the PDP known as G-5 have been at loggerheads with Atiku over the national chairmanship slot of the party occupied by Iyorchia Ayu, a northerner. They insist that Ayu must resign to pave way for a southerner to take the job. Atiku has ignored their protestation.
Recall that the certificate of occupancy to a plot of land Lee Maeba received from the Rivers State government was revoked by Wike early in November.
Also recall that in November, a supporter of Atiku in Rivers State was violently attacked with a machete while pasting campaign posters bearing Atiku’s image. This was later followed by a local government chairman in Rivers State filmed leading thugs to remove all campaign posters of Atiku.
Eyewitness said the thugs that attacked Lee Maeba’s home were armed with dangerous weapons, adding that they also assaulted the elder brother of Meaba who resided in the building.