• PDP is jittery –APC
From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja and Chris Anucha, Por Harcourt
RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has alleged there is a plan by the police to arrest the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Partyy (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah.
The allegation was contained in a press statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu.
The governor said the people would resist the planned arrest of the chairman.
Wike said by declaring the Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government Area, Sabomabo Jackrich wanted, few days to the elections, the police might have been influenced by political considerations.
Wike said he had given the security agencies all the logistics support required for the elections as the chief security officer of the state and pointed out that they have a duty to work within the law. On the petition written by the state government to embassies of 50 countries, the governor said it was a confirmation of the readiness of the PDP to participate in credible polls.
Meanwhile, repeated calls to the telephone line of the police public relations officer in the state, DSP Ahmad Muhammad indicated it was engaged. Text messages sent to him were not replied.
In Abuja, South-South chapter of the PDP yesterday, joined its national secretariat to alert on an alleged plot by its main rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig tomorrow re-run elections in Rivers.
National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the party, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh made the allegation in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja.
Ojougboh called on party faithful in Rivers “to defend their votes, obey all civil rules and avoid anything that can led to confrontation with the military but urged them to “stand firmly to collate their results at the polling units and follow it up to the collation centres.”
Efforts to get APC to react to the allegation were unsuccessful. Daily Sun called APC Secretary in the state, Chris Finebone, repeatedly on his MTN line yesterday night. The calls did not connect. Similarly, Finebone did not respond to text messages for him to respond to the allegations.
But, APC Chairman in the state, Dr. Davis Ikanya dismissed Ojougboh’s rigging allegations. He said the PDP was just jittery because of its past. He spoke through his media aide, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze. “There is no plan to rig the elections. The PDP is jittery because they are no longer in control of INEC and security agents…”