Assistant Editor (South South), JOE EZUMA, reports that despite assurances of issue-based campaign by APC and PDP in Rivers, the state is gradually getting soaked in politically-motivated violence.
Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, has set agenda for peaceful and issue-based campaign in next month’s governorship contest.
At an interdenominational church service tagged Praise/Dedication Service where he assembled over 50 clerics to dedicate his governorship candidacy to God, Peterside promised to serve God and Rivers people well, promising not to disappoint Governor Rotimi Amaechi who chose him as his successor.
“Having worked closely with our leader, brother, governor and friend, I have seen his passion for excellence and a new and better Rivers. I have been challenged by this passion and believe that a greater Rivers is possible if we all join hands together. I believe that we can provide leadership that will accelerate the actualisation of a greater Rivers dream of improved middle class, first class safe environment, equal and more socio-economic opportunities and create a greater sense of community; a Rivers State that will be the pride of Africa,” he said.
His olive branch became more reassuring when he followed it with a warm embrace with his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Nyesom Wike, during their meeting at Ogoni in the course of their tour to the area.
Wike, on his part, remarked that democracy relies in numbers in determining who wins the race.
Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari who heads the Peterside campaign organisation’s publicity machinery, explained the focus of the APC governorship candidate’s governance project, saying it is anchored on four cardinal principles of human capital development, security, employment and wealth creation. Semenitari said the APC would build on the gains of Amaechi’s administration which, she noted, had taken Rivers to a reference point in transformational governance.
“We will engage PDP idea for idea, issue for issue. We are not going to engage in frivolities and smear campaigns that lack socially-relevant content. Our campaign will be issue-based. To this end, our underpinning philosophy is voter education and the promotion of a return to cherished value,” Semenitari said.
Regime of violence
Despite the assurance, the state has been in the firm grip of politically-motivated violence in the past two weeks. The ugly development has, in fact, prompted the Commissioner of Police, Dan Bature, to summon a stakeholders’ meeting to iron things out among the parties and their faithful.
The police intervention notwithstanding, the situation has not changed much. For instance, on Wednesday, January 6, while APC faithful waited at Adokiye Amasimeka Stadium for the arrival of their presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, and party bigwigs who were to flag off his presidential campaign at the venue, news filtered in that party supporters on their way for the rally were attacked from two fronts. Some were reportedly hospitalised.
The following day, the State Working Committee (SWC), led by the state party chairman, Davies Ikanya, and Local Government Area party chairmen from Khana and Goanna, spoke on the rising incidence of political violence in the state which it accused the PDP of promoting. Ikanya specifically accused PDP of carrying out attack on its members who were coming from the Ogoni area for the presidential campaign rally.
He also alleged that PDP members, the same day, attacked APC followers coming for the rally from the Kalabari axis at Akpor.
Ibiamu recalled incidents when PDP thugs invaded APC functions, accusing the party of introducing dangerous trends in Rivers politics and called on the police to investigate the incident with a view to bringing the culprits to book.
“We want to advise the PDP that they don’t need to kill to win political power; after all they said we only exist on billboards. Why are they now jittery and resorting to arms? We want to warn that nobody has monopoly of violence, and we could strive to protect ourselves if this violent attacks continue unabated,” the APC warned.
As if the January 6 episode was a test-run of the ugly developments in the state, on Saturday, Jan 10, at Rumueme in Obio/Akpor council, which is turning to a hotbed of violent eruptions, hoodlums invaded the venue of meeting of APC members during which machetes, bottles and other dangerous weapons were freely used on the victims, some of who were treated at the Kelsley Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt.
The climax of a week of gradual drift to violence was the bombing of the APC Secretariat in Okrika Local Government Area of the state, on Sunday, January 11.
The three-storey building was hit by multiple explosions. APC chairman in the council, Christian Asifamaka, told newsmen who he took round the ruined premises that the attack occurred about 3.15 am.
In all these, APC, which appears to be at the receiving end of the attacks, is pointing fingers at the PDP while expressing dissatisfaction with police handling of the situation, though maintaining that it still has confidence in the ability of Bature to handle security situation in the state.
PDP in the state has, however, absolved its members of having any hand in the growing culture of violence in the state. The party rather blames APC of orchestrating the attacks, with the aim of portraying it in bad light.
Reacting to the attack on their members in Rumueme, APC members in the area, last Sunday, staged a peaceful protest to the state headquarters of the police and office of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Port Harcourt.
The protesters were led by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Tony Okocha; Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Obio/Akpor, Lawrence Chuku; and former member of the House of Representatives, Ike Chinwo.
Okocha, who is also the leader of APC in Obio/Akpor area, said the party was protesting series of violent attacks on members of the party in the area, which began on January 3.
Addressing the protesters at the state police headquarters, Bature said the police would look into their complaints with a view to addressing them.
“Issues that have been raised, we are going to address them and ensure justice to everybody. That is our determined objective. All I expect from you is to be lawful; I also expect you to pass the message down because these are periods we don’t want to heat up the polity,” he said.