BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The All Progressives Congress has condemned, in the strongest terms, the attack on some of its leaders and members in Port Harcourt on Monday by thugs and supporters of the People’s Democratic Party.
In a statement from its national headquarters in Abuja, the ruling party described the attack as barbaric which deserves urgent and thorough investigation.
The statement reads: “This barbaric and unprovoked attack occurred during a visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s office by Mr. Tonye Cole, APC Governorship Candidate, Dr. Innocent Barikor, Deputy Governorship Candidate, Mr. Emeka Beke, State Chairman of the Party and three other party officials to obtain the Certified True Copies (CTC) of vital documents in the March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly elections.
“Without warning, thugs and supporters of the PDP descended on our party officials, inflicting severe and life threatening injuries on them, and damaging personal and party properties.”
Frowning at the incessant attacks on its members in the PDP- governed Rivers State, the APC said, “This premeditated attack by PDP thugs and operatives on our officials and members in Port Harcourt is yet another in what has now become an orgy of violence carried out with mind-boggling audacity, and with absolutely no serious investigation by the police or repercussions for the instigators and perpetrators of this serial violence.”
The statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, further reads: “Ostensibly, this latest attack was aimed at frustrating the effort of our Governorship Candidate to obtain vital documents to exercise his constitutional right to challenge the declared result of the governorship election in the state.
“For the PDP that claims to have won the election to resort to this level of violence to block a legitimate legal challenge tells a different story of a party sitting precariously on needles and pins in the face of prospects of a legal challenge by our Governorship Candidate.
“While we commend the swift response of security agencies, especially the Police and the Nigerian Army in restoring peace and order in the wake of this brutal attack, again, we call on the Inspector General of Police to order an urgent and thorough investigation into this and previous incidents of violent attacks on leaders and members of our party in Rivers State, and to bring the sponsors and perpetrators to justice.”
