The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tony Okocha has accused the state government led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of sponsoring the protesters of #EndBadGovernance that attacked the party’s secretariat on Monday.
This came as the Commissioner for Information and Communication in the state, Joe Johnson has denied that the Fubara led government sponsored the attack on the APC secretariat, stressing that it is a frivolous claim by the present administration of the APC to discredit the governor’s peaceful character.
It was also observed that the Day 6 protest in the State turned a bit violent, as shop owners and motorists within Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs were forced to hold fronts, leafs in their hands and vehicles or risk not being allowed to move around freely.
Meanwhile, the APC caretaker committee chairman in the state, Okocha, while reacting on the attack on its secretariat on Aba Road, where the protesters turned hoodlums destroyed the party’s giant bill board, told journalists in Port Harcourt, that those that vandalised the party secretariat threatened to come back again for another attack.
Okocha said: “Today, the issue in point is the vandalisation of the APC secretariat by hoodlums, who were arranged, sponsored by a source, which in course of this our engagement, I will reveal. I will name the source; we are not scared to name the source because the situation had become so political.
“Our secretariat was attacked yesterday and they left us with a note that they are coming back again. We don’t know whether coming back again will be today or in future. If was about 5:00pm yesterday that they vandalized our secretariat complex. We pre-empted them because we knew and we anticipated what they will do.
“We have information that they had been paid to destroy our party secretariat. And who is paying them? They are being paid and sponsored by the government of Rivers State. Their interest, as far as we are concerned is not make Rivers State the epicenter of the protest”, Okocha alleged.
Reacting to the claims by Okocha, the state Information Commissioner, Johnson said is not in the character and bloodline of the current state government to destroy other people’s properties.
Johnson said: “The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara is the Peace Advocate of the Silverbird in Year 2023. He is a thorough bred, not somebody that has destruction in his gene, is not in his bloodline. He is the most enduring governor.
“Not too long ago Tony Okocha raised some stream for State of Emergency. Before that he had said he was going to invoke members of his party whom he later disclaimed that they should commence impeachment process against the governor. In all these the governor has been steadfast”.
He said “The governor spoke to the protesters on Day 1 of the protest and everywhere was calm. The present protest going around now are machinery brought in by Tony Okocha and his APC to actualise what they originally planned that this protest was going to turn”.
Following the new development of protest in the state where protesters were attacking business people who did not participate in the movement, also motorists who did not declare solidarity in the protest, the state Police Commissioner, Olatunji Disu advised that they should conduct their demonstration peacefully within designated locations, while the police would provide adequate protection and isolate any criminal elements.
In the state statement signed by the state Police Relations Officer, CP Disu said “The Police will act decisively to arrest and prosecute any individuals who attempt to infringe on the rights of others or engage in criminal activities under the guise of the protest. The police will take necessary and decisive action immediately if the protest stops being peaceful”.
Disu however, advised that protesters should remain in the designated protest areas, Pleasure Park and Abali Park, adding that “They should refrain from disrupting the free movement of citizens or engaging in any unlawful activities. The command is committed to maintaining law and order and ensuring the safety of all residents during this period”.
Blessing Ibunge
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