From Tony John, Port Harcourt

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Rivers South East Senatorial District re-run election, Senator Magnus Abe, has called on his supporters to take whatever step necessary to defend themselves and protect their lives and property, if attacked by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs and supporters.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt, Abe said the decision was taken after a careful review of the security situation in the district where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have allegedly armed their sup­porters with automatic rifles and dynamites.
“From today, if anybody opens fire on members of the APC anywhere in my senatorial district, there will be a response. Anybody who has two heads should bring out his second head to do whatever he wants to do within the senatorial district that would af­fect the lives or threaten the lives of members of the APC.
“We will no longer tolerate it. We are not women only. We are not children only. We are men, women and youths that are members of this party. From now on, we will defend ourselves; we will protect our members and do whatever is necessary to secure our lives and secure the lives of our members,” Abe stated.
Abe recalled that in Gokana, hell was let loose when PDP supporters opened fire on everybody and threw dynamites and bombs at the Independent National Electoral Commis­sion (INEC) office.
“We expected that given all that have been said about the expectation of violence in Riv­ers State that the entire state will be in locked down, there will be checkpoints, police and soldiers everywhere. But unfortunately, that did not happen. There was zero security pres­ence. Even when it became clear that lives of INEC ad hoc staff were being threatened and in jeopardy, nothing much was done to protect their lives not to talk of our own supporters of the APC, who have become an endangered species in Rivers State.”
He stated that he was faced with the choice to either withdraw or for APC members and supporters to defend themselves.
Abe advised Governor Wike to direct PDP thugs to stop the destruction of billboards in Rivers South East Senatorial District and not to attack APC supporters again.
However, the Rivers State PDP has called for the arrest of Senator Abe for telling his supporters to defend themselves by all means.
Chairman of PDP Felix Obuah, in a state­ment issued by his media aide, Jerry, con­demned the “inciting statement” emphasising that Abe should be arrested and prosecuted.
Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society groups, Vote for Service Initiative, Concerned Human Rights and Arewa Youths Alliance has warned President Muhammadu Buhari to be wary of calls on him to declare emergency rule in Rivers State.
In a statement signed by Adeola Sam­uel-Ilori, Declan Ihiekiare and Abubakar Mohammed Kudu, the group said emergency rule would exacerbate the already volatile situation in the oil-rich state.
“We urge Mr. President not succumb to such self-serving calls as declaring a state of emergency in that state is an open invitation for the return of militancy. And the president as the father of the nation should not be partisan on this issue. From what was ob­served during the election, that state, and by extension, that region, is highly militarised, with several illegal arms in the possession of several unemployed youths which constitute about 60 per cent of the population. Apart from the fact that if a state of emergency is declared, the only thing that would change is the dismantling of the political structures, like the removal of the governor and members of the state Assembly, it would not improve on the security situation in the state.