Rivers PDP, APC bicker over Wednesday’s shooting at sensitisation rally

Following the shooting by unknown gunmen at a voters sensitization rally of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at Ipo community, Ikwerre local Government Area of Rivers State, Wednesday, the party and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state are now engaged in accusations and counter accusations over the attack.

The state chapter of the PDP, led by Chief Felix Obuah, in condemning the attack described it as unwarranted, stupid, and primitive.

The PDP in a statement issued on Thursday, claimed that the attack was sponsored by the APC, the leading opposition party in the state,

alleging that no opposition worth its salt would resort to violence and killing of innocent citizens it claimed to be campaigning for their welfare.

In the statement signed by Mr. Jerry Needam, the Special Assistant to the PDP state chairman on Media, the party said that more shocking and devastating,

was the reaction of the APC in the state particularly the alleged remarks of Chief Chidi Lloyd, an APC chieftain “who rather than show concern for the callous and cowardly act, retorted that the PDP should look inwards in search for the perpetrators of the act.”

Chief Obuah said that Mr. Lloyd’s alleged unconcerned attitude and careless comment only smacked of complicity and tantamount to admission of guilt.

The state PDP Chairman regretted that “politics and political strategies were being distorted from their true meaning of discernible ideology and the use of legitimate means in selling and promoting such ideas to the electorate.”

While sympathizing with the leadership of the PDP in Ikwerre LGA and the families of the victims of the Wednesday attack, the State PDP chairman called on the police

and other security agencies in the State to wake up to their responsibility and ensure that no stone was left unturned in unmasking and arresting all those behind the despicable act, and bringing them to justice accordingly.

Reacting to the accusations, the APC in the state denied knowledge or complicity in the attacks. In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Finebone, the APC alleged that the attackers were PDP’s abandoned allies.

The APC alleged: “We know nothing about what they are saying. We understand their attackers are their former allies who killed and maimed APC members in 2015 and subsequent rerun elections who feel abandoned by the PDP. At least, that’s the information we are hearing.

“If they truly had credible information about complicity of anyone, why didn’t they approach security agents for arrests and investigation? You can see that the PDP people simply made up the story to divert attention from the real incident.

“Our real worry is that the PDP knows that they brought this on themselves. They only want to use it to lay a foundation for a fresh narrative that will kick start fresh round of violence as the 2019 elections approach. You know that they thrive on violence.

“Unfortunately, PDP leaders in Rivers State are fixated in their archaic and time-forgotten style of raising wild accusations and name-calling instead of tackling serious issues with all the seriousness they deserve.

Of course, they find it difficult to follow up on unsubstantiated claims that don’t go beyond the washy attention they often crave,” the statement read in part.

It continued: “Assuming without conceding that they know anyone or persons working in cohort with a criminal to attack them, should their first port of call be the media? Of course, the security agencies are there but they won’t go to them because they know that diligent investigations will lead back to PDP.”

The APC, therefore, called on security agencies to arrest PDP members and officials of Rivers State government who had mentioned people they suspected to assist them in a thorough investigation of the said violence.

“We believe that such investigation will expose what the PDP people are doing to themselves. They should stop calling APC members names in vain just to cover up their evil deeds,” Rivers State APC concluded.

One person was feared dead and the Ikwerre local government chairmen, a PDP stalwart narrowly escaped death when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a voters’ sensitisation rally organised by the party last Wednesday.