The gatehouse and parts of the main building of the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State were completely destroyed in the early hours of Saturday as explosives suspected to be a dynamite, were dropped in the premises.
This is as tension rose to its pitch in the state following the camps of the former Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Wike, and his political godson, and current Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, are locked in a fight-to-finish in the battle for the control of the political structure at the grassroots.
The explosion brought down the gate of the secretariat, while doors, windows and other property were destroyed.
There were however, speculation that the arson may have been perpetrated by supporters of the other faction of the APC, to foist reactions that could lead to a declaration of state of emergency in the state by the federal government.
The arson took place as the local government elections is set to hold in the state today as the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission said on Friday that all sensitive materials have been distributed to the various local government areas.
A viral video of the incident scene seen by our correspondent showed some workers at the facilities going round to ascertain the extent of damage.
When contacted, for comment, the spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she is yet to be briefed on it, but promised to revert, which she is yet to do three hours after making contact with her.
The party is equally yet to make a statement on the incident.
There were confusion and conflicting signals from quarters.
For instance, while the National Working Committee (NWC), of the Peoples Democratic (PDP), is in support and wants its members to take part in the election, its Rivers State chapter, which is loyal to Wike, urged residents and party members to shun the exercise.
The Police, citing court orders, have said they would not provide security services in Rivers and urged other security agencies to do the same.
However, Governor Fubara who accused the Police of bias, said the election would be held with the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), saying regardless of the court order, it would go ahead with the conduct of the exercise.
This was as the Action Peoples Party (APP), disowned a factional group claiming to be the party’s authentic leadership in Rivers, and backed RSIEC’s decision to go ahead with the poll.
In Akwa Ibom, Governor Umo Eno of the PDP, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC), boasted about their parties winning the poll.
While Eno said the PDP will win with a landslide, Akpabio said the APC could not be dismissed easily.
*No going back on poll, IGP’s biased — Fubara
Insisting on holding today’s LGA poll, Governor Fubara accused the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the entire Nigeria Police Force of serving the interest of an Abuja-based politician to scuttle the election. Governor Fubara made the accusation during a World Press Conference held at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The Governor said the already scheduled Local Government election, barely hours away, cannot be stopped or truncated because a particular person does not want it conducted. He said that everything that needed to be done about the electoral process legally, security wise and logistically, including the voters, have been finalised and voters sentisitised because of their high confidence levels.
Governor Fubara said even the police have been informed, and are expected to discharge their statutory professional security duties, particularly because the court also directed so in its judgment on the election. He regretted that rather, the police had become hired agents sent to attack the headquarters of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, and tried to cart away sensitive materials.
His words: “In the early hours of this morning (Friday), I got a security report that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission office has been invaded by the Nigerian Police. I was really surprised because before that time, I got a copy of a signal withdrawing the police officers that were guarding the premises. So, I had to drive to the place myself since the facility belongs to Rivers State Government.
“Getting to the scene, and to the shock of everyone who accompanied me there, I saw some fierce looking policemen in one truck and three other empty Hilux vans trying to force their way into the premises. I had to stop them. In the process, we discovered that that movement (operation), was a deliberate attempt by the Nigerian Police Force, both the Rivers State Command and the Headquarters (Abuja), to steal the electoral materials. But by the special grace of God, that act was foiled.”
Governor Fubara questioned how so low the Nigeria Police stooped, allowing their officers to engage in such illegal acts that clearly suggested that they had become enemies of Rivers State.
Otherwise, the governor wondered why the Nigeria Police will attempt to take over control of RSIEC or be used to stop a democratic process that is ongoing, which will lead to the emergence of elected political leadership at the local government councils.
